How To Stop Thinking So Much: 10 Tips Against Rumination
The ability to imagine has been a great evolutionary advance, allowing human beings to not only live in the moment, but also to remember past situations and consider future ones.
But that’s not totally good. Sometimes, remembering what we have already experienced or thinking about what may happen turns the mind, which could seem so liberating at first, into the true prison of our species.
Our highest capacity becomes a trap, causing us to enter a loop of rumination and obsessive thoughts that can be paralyzing. In these types of situations is when we consider how to stop thinking so much and this article aims to be the answer to such a complex question.
As we were already commenting, sometimes, thinking becomes something that cannot be controlled, especially when we are talking about worries.
Obsessive thoughts begin to occupy all the space in the mind, making the person unable to stop focusing their attention on negative events, whether they are past or those that may occur in the future. This is a source of discomfort, manifested in the form of anxiety, irritability and sadness
When talking about thinking too much about something bad, we cannot ignore the concept of rumination, which refers to when the focus of attention remains completely focused on an event, whether real or imaginary, which produces a certain feeling of discomfort. . In this case, the thought does not flow, it remains stuck in the same concern, which becomes an obsession.
The person puts all his effort into preventing these intrusive thoughts from appearing, but it seems that the more effort he puts into them, the stronger they appear. Thus, he enters a loop in which the person experiencing it cannot put an end to it, remaining completely trapped in a whirlwind of maddening thoughts.
How to stop thinking so much? Some advices
It is clear that the human mind does not have a switch that can turn it off as we would with a television, nor is it possible to decide which thought to watch like someone who decides to watch their favorite channel on the device.
However, it is possible to make worrying thoughts lose strength, especially if you stop paying attention to them. Let’s look at some useful strategies for this:
1. Don’t try to stop thinking
Although it may seem contradictory, one of the best things you can do to try to stop thinking so much is, simply, don’t obsess over stopping thinking about the intrusive thought
That is, if the recurring thought appears suddenly, trying to consciously stop thinking about it will only make it more vivid.
The thought will end up disappearing at some point or another, so it’s best to try to ignore it.
2. Don’t give them shit
We are calm in our living room and, suddenly, we think about the uncertainty generated by not knowing how the current political situation is going to end. We got up from the couch and began to think about possible scenarios, each one more catastrophic than the last, reaching the point of thinking that a civil war could even start.
This is an example of what not to do. If the thought comes, you should not give it more strength like someone adding fuel to the fire.
The problem with ruminating is that it can be addictive If you have not been able to find a calming response to the thought that generates anxiety, perhaps it is best to forget that such a solution exists.
3. Live in the moment
It may seem like cheap and very utopian advice, but it is plausible and effective. If we focus on what we are doing at the moment, no matter how simple it may be, it can be a very good way to cut off obsessive thinking.
Whether while washing the dishes, reading a book, or simply standing in line at the butcher shop, if you pay attention to what you are doing and where you are, the invasive thoughts take center stage.
It is not possible to be fully aware of two activities at the same time, for this reason, Living in the moment is a very good option to take away the weight of what has happened or what may happen
4. Do not react emotionally
This may be a little more complicated, but the ideal is that, when an obsessive thought appears, you should remain calm.
If you react, either by getting angry or sad, You enter a loop in which you look for more reasons to be worried and, on top of that, greater gravity is given to the thought.
The goal is to stop paying attention to them, and that also means not giving them the pleasure of making any emotional impression on us.
5. Listen to relaxing music
It is a simple but comfortable and economical option, especially if the songs do not have lyrics or are sung in a language that is not understood.
Although it is a somewhat far-fetched situation, it is possible that when listening to a song sung in the mother tongue, if something that is related to worry is mentioned, the person enters a constant loop in that intrusive thought.
Relaxing music, especially of the New Age genre, induces an atmosphere of relaxation and distraction thanks to its large number of instruments that imitate the sounds of nature.
6. Change habits
It is quite possible that the thoughts that worry us are linked to some action that we perform every day, although it may seem that their appearance is completely random and for no apparent reason.
Working on worry itself is quite complicated, but making a change in the person’s habits is not so complicated. That is why it can be very beneficial make some small changes in your daily life such as frequenting new places, reconnecting with old friends, in essence, submitting to new stimuli.
If the change is made radically, you must be careful, since it is not easy to introduce several new habits at the same time.
If achieved, it can be a great source of liberation, given that the new tends to occupy a greater role in the mind than the old, in which obsessive thoughts are found, causing attention to be paid to new experiences.
7. Set a new goal
Very related to the previous point, You can consider achieving a new objective, which will cause greater attention to be devoted to it to this one and not to invasive thoughts.
However, this strategy can be a double-edged sword. If done incorrectly, there is a risk that it will be one of the many projects that the person started and failed to finish, in turn becoming an invasive thought.
It is because of that the new goal must be realistic, even if it also represents a challenge An example of this type of project would be collecting insects, making a model, obtaining a B2 in English…
If the activity is truly pleasurable, the person will not only pay attention to it while the activity is being done, but also when it is not being done, especially because they want to dedicate themselves to it.
8. Mindfulness
This type of meditation technique has been one of the most studied in the field of psychology and that is why it is known that it has many benefits when it comes to reducing anxiety and, at the same time, obsessive thoughts.
During the sessions in which this activity is carried out, you can concentrate on physical sensations, breathing control, the voice of the person in charge of the activity… You enter a state of deep tranquility, in which it seems that your thoughts negative ones are dissipating more and more.
9. Physical exercise
Everyone knows that exercise is a good ally of both physical and mental health, and it cannot be missed when learning how to stop thinking so many bad thoughts.
Not only does it have the great advantage of producing endorphins, but also, especially in directed activities, allows you to focus on aspects such as posture and correct movement
Furthermore, once the exercise session is over, both the muscles and the nervous connections recover, in addition to initiating changes that are beneficial for the proper functioning of the body.
10. Walk
Related to the previous point, walking also It is an effective ally against the intrusion of unwanted thoughts
While walking, not only the legs move. The person pays attention to the places they frequent, although the ideal is that, if they want to stop thinking about obsessions, visit a bucolic place like a park or take a visit to the mountains, where there are no distractions nor the madding city noise.
The fresh air of the countryside has a relaxing effect on the body, in addition to the fact that, by nature, human beings associates the green color of grass with calm and well-being
Being a different environment than what we are used to, especially if we are an urbanite, seeing wild flowers and plants also allows us to focus our attention away from the trap that our mind can become.
