Breaking Free from Rumination: Mindfulness Practices for Anxiety Relief in the Bay Area
When Thoughts Take Over: Understanding Rumination
Have you ever felt hundreds of thoughts circling in your mind all at once? Found yourself so immersed in thought that you've forgotten where you were going? Let worry escalate to such a catastrophic place that you end up in a state of panic? Experience intrusive negative thoughts that suddenly bring you down? Over-plan and review details in a way that feels fatiguing?
We can thank our ruminating mind for that.
The good news is that we don't have to let negative thoughts run the show. Through mindfulness practices and anxiety therapy techniques, we can train our minds to avoid becoming constantly entangled with distressing mental chatter.
The Science Behind Rumination
Thoughts are mere patterns of electricity generated in our brains. Research has shown that a brain region called the default mode network (DMN) remains active when our minds aren't required to purposefully focus on specific tasks. The DMN is more active when we engage in familiar activities and less active when we focus on novel tasks requiring intentional attention.
For example, our minds are more prone to daydreaming while washing dishes than while learning to play a new board game.
Scientists are still investigating why our brains have this default tendency to wander. Some suggest this constant brain activity maintains a level of stimulation that facilitates performance in everyday tasks. These stimulus-independent thoughts may also help us generate meaning from our experiences. Ultimately, our brain has an intrinsic ability to go off on its own, taking us into different scenarios—traveling back to the past or jumping into the future—invoking memories or conjuring future situations that arouse a range of feelings.
How Rumination Feeds Anxiety
When we're absorbed in memories—like the first time we felt betrayed by someone—we may experience negative emotions such as anger or sadness. Conversely, imagining a positive future event, like getting a dream job, might trigger excitement or joy. But what happens when our mental chatter consists heavily of worries?
As researchers Killingsworth and Gilbert point out, "although this ability is a remarkable evolutionary achievement that allows people to learn, reason, and plan, it may come with an emotional cost."
According to psychiatrist and anxiety expert Judson Brewer, worry gives us a temporary feeling of control over future uncertainties. When the unknown triggers anxiety, our brain's automatic response is to hastily seek answers through worry. Our mental simulations usually take the form of "what if" scenarios where we see ourselves confronting potential threats. By taking us out of our bodily experience, the worry habit provides quick but short-lived relief from anxious feelings.
Beyond being stress-inducing and fatiguing, it has been found that this endless chatter can impair our ability to effectively regulate emotional stress. If you're experiencing these symptoms, mindfulness-based therapy could provide tools to help manage these patterns.
Mindfulness vs. Rumination: The Happiness Connection
Research demonstrates that we feel our best when focused on tasks, not when lost in our thoughts. In a study with 2,250 adults who were asked in real-time about their feelings, activities, and thought patterns, participants reported greater happiness when their minds were focused on specific tasks and less happiness during mind-wandering episodes.
You've likely noticed this yourself. Think about the last time you felt stuck in your head—worried, over-planning, or reminiscing. How were you feeling? Unless you were thinking about something positive, you probably weren't feeling great. Now recall the last time you were completely present—perhaps playing an instrument, having a heartfelt conversation, or engaging in sports with friends. How did you feel then?
Understanding Mindfulness as an Antidote to Rumination
John Kabat-Zinn, renowned meditation teacher, defines mindfulness as "paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally."
When entangled with our thoughts—whether positive or negative—we disconnect from where we are and who we're with; we're removed from life unfolding in the present moment. Being engaged in our lives and present is precisely what mindfulness entails.
Mindfulness requires stepping back from our thinking minds and bringing awareness to the present moment. We shift our attention from inside our heads to either:
Our bodily sensations and movements
Our immediate surroundings
The task before us
The practice involves noticing and observing without judgment, adopting a stance of curiosity and openness toward what's happening in the present moment.
By combining professional anxiety therapy with consistent mindfulness practice, you can develop effective strategies to break the cycle of rumination and build greater present-moment awareness.
If you're struggling with rumination and anxiety in the Bay Area and would like to learn more about mindfulness-based approaches, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
References:
Mason, M. F., Norton, M. I., Van Horn, J. D., Wegner, D. M., Grafton, S. T., & Macrae, C.N. (2007). Wandering minds: The default network and stimulus independent thought. Science, 315, 393-395.
Klinger, E. (1971). Structure and functions of fantasy. Wiley-Interscience: New York, NY.
Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330, p.932.
James, K. & Rimes K. A. (2017). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus pure cognitive behavioral self-help for perfectionism: a pilot randomized study. Mindfulness, 9(3), 801-814.
Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330, p.932.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go there you are. New York, NY: Hachette Books Group: p. 4