It is clear that thinking is necessary to solve most of the problems we face on a daily basis, but that does not mean that thinking more is always the best option. In fact, sometimes it’s part of the problem. This is what happens when we notice that we are incapable of avoiding grief in a loop, over and over again, and that this prevents us from focusing on what would truly benefit us.
To solve this kind of problems, here we will see some Psychological tips to prevent this tendency to think in a loop.
The phenomenon of feeling that we have been thinking about the same things for a long time and involuntarily, either recreating in our imagination an imaginary experience or a memory, or reflecting on an idea that “pulls on us” emotionally, and feeling bad about it , is what is known as psychological rumination.
Another way of understanding rumination is the fact of directing our attention over and over again towards those ideas or mental images that worry us or make us feel anguish or anxiety, and that therefore They force us to be alert, manipulating those mental contents in our heads without stopping. Furthermore, this tendency to think in a loop traps us in a kind of vicious cycle, as we remain focused on how bad that experience makes us feel and how much we wish we could think about something else, instead of trying to deal with it in one go. constructive manner and directed towards the search for concrete solutions.
When we have been thinking in a loop for a long time, what is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy arises: we attract to ourselves those experiences that we anticipate, but that at the same time worry us and we would like to avoid, since we are predisposed to feel vulnerable to certain types of thoughts and experiences. . For example, if we cannot stop thinking that we have too much work accumulated to finish it in the time we have, that leads us to try not to think about it and postpone our tasks even more, but at the same time that leads us to worry even more about what happens to us… And we end up doing nothing but suffering and thinking in a loop at the same time that we feel more pressured to continue down this path of mismanagement of the situation.
Useful Strategies to Avoid Thinking in a Loop Over and Over Again
The most effective way to confront and overcome this tendency to think in a loop is, by far, to consult a psychologist, since in this way we will have an expert professional in this field who will offer us a “training” program in the management of emotions and thoughts, adapting to our needs and characteristics. Now, beyond this fact, you can also apply some general advice to your daily life that is often helpful when faced with experiences of this type. They are summarized below.
1. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to control your thoughts
Part of what keeps this tendency to think in a loop going is that the person, feeling discomfort from the vicious circle they are in, desperately tries to control their thoughts, something that only serves to feed the feeling of anguish and frustration. . No one has the ability to choose exactly what to think about and what not to think about at any given moment and ignoring that leads to discomfort at best, and mental health problems at worst.
Therefore, you must be aware that you will only get out of the thought loop by influencing your mental states in a more indirect way, and certainly not by blocking ideas, thoughts or imagined images when they interest you. This implies that for a time, what worries you will remain in your consciousness without you being able to avoid it, but how you react to it depends on you.
2. Choose proactivity and not avoidance
Along the same lines as the previous advice, you must be clear that the solution is not to try to avoid the thought or image that leads you to think in a loop; On the contrary, the strategy you should adopt will not be based on eliminating, but on adding. You must incorporate other stimuli and mental content into your mind capable of “engaging” with your attention focus until you become fully involved in these, letting what worries you be displaced.
In the event that what you thought about over and over again is a problem that you can intervene to solve, keep in mind that these other thoughts that will serve to replace the other can perfectly consist of getting down to work and remedying it. what worries you. Once you have started, the simple challenge of executing sequential actions to solve the problem will draw your attention and motivate you, because it is very satisfying to overcome the fear of thinking about it and realizing that it is not helpful to progress. In these cases the main barrier is not working on those tasks or responsibilities, but taking the step of accepting that we will not be dedicating ourselves to that for a few minutes instead of trying to avoid thinking about it.
The looping thoughts generated by rumination are greatly reinforced by those moments in which we do not know what to do and we feel forced to face the uncertainty of how to manage our time, what to direct our attention and our actions towards in the very short term. That’s why, It is recommended that you have prepared a fairly detailed schedule in advance so that you have little exposure to those situations and do not have to make decisions of that kind constantly.
4. Practice relaxation techniques
In combination with the previous tips for thinking in a loop, you can incorporate relaxation techniques such as controlled diaphragmatic breathing or Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation.
In this way you will do a mental “reset” that will help you break the rumination loop.
5. Do physical exercise
Although it may seem strange, physical exercise has a similar effect to relaxation techniques: fixes us in the here and now, since our attention is directed towards the stimuli that our senses capture and towards the coordination of movements with the parts of the body. This means that we do not have the ability to think about other, more abstract things that have nothing to do with carrying out those actions.
Do you want to have professional psychological support?
If you need the help of a psychologist to deal with problems such as rumination and intrusive thoughts, contact me.
Am Thomas Saint Cecilia psychologist, and I offer my services to individuals, couples, families and companies both in my office located in Madrid and online through video call sessions.
