Always rehash the same ideas can be expensive in energy and time, especially if it does not lead to solutions. Juliette Marty-Groleas, clinical psychologist and author of ” 50 TCC exercises to stop ruminating », We share his advice.
Ruminations are looping thoughts, often negatively. These ruminations can be of two orders: concrete and abstract. Concrete ruminations bring to think about a problem to find a solution. Abstract ruminations are rather reflections imagined from disaster scenarios: ” What if I lose my job, what will I get? ». “” We rehash the same thoughts but it is doomed to failure because no solution emanates from these thoughts; it’s endless “Explains Juliette Marty-Groleas, clinical psychologist and author of” 50 TCC exercises to stop ruminating », Published by Eyrolles editions.
People more prone to anxiety
Everyone tends to ruminate at times. But some particularly anxious people adopt these automatic thoughts more and use them as an emotional regulation strategy to anticipate a deadline. Before a big meeting, for example, everyone can say that he should not be mistaken. But faced with this fear, we do not all react the same way. A stressed person can ruminate in order to look for concrete solutions so as not to plant himself. But she can also imagine the worst disappointments. The question is how to go from abstract rumination to a concrete rumination oriented towards solutions. To achieve this, Juliette Marty-Groleas offers in her book around fifty exercises from behavioral and cognitive therapy (TCC).
Identify your ruminations
One of the exercises is to program five alarms during his day. When they ring, we note if we have ruminated since the last alarm. If yes: what was the intensity of this thought on a scale of 0 to 10? What activity was we doing when we started to cogitate in a loop? When we realize that we are ruminating, we question ourselves: did this rumination make it possible to resolve a concern? What do we now understand to this problem after this rumination? Do we feel more or less depressed, helpless after? “” We often ruminate in automatic pilot on the same subjects. These random alarms help to realize if you have a recurring subject in mind. The more we become aware of it, the more we manage to take a step aside and to see if this subject is worth ruminating in a concrete way or if we have no control over it and that it is better to let go “Explains the psychologist.
For example, if you have to get married, you can worry about the weather. We can ruminate to know what to do in case of rain (umbrella, arbor, etc.) but we will not be able to control time. In this case, one decentrals his thought which generates anxiety so as not to return to it in vain.
Flow activity
To move on, we can practice an activity of ” flow Which allows to be intellectually absorbed, emotionally, and fully focused on something else. This activity is specific to each. It is important to test and see what works for yourself. It can be running, coloring, reading, listening to music, making yoga, painting, tinkering … we can choose after coming back
On the subject which was the object of our ruminations consciously at a chosen time.
Breathing to put yourself on break
You can also take a break with the breathing method in 4-4-4-4. To do so, it is a question of finding a quiet place and focusing on your breathing. We breathe deeply: we inspire 4 seconds, we block 4 seconds, we expire 4 seconds, we block 4 seconds and so on. This cycle is to be repeated five to ten times. “” We take his thought before we can observe what is happening. The longer the exercise lasts, the more we cut off from our ruminations, the more we can rework them after “Explains Juliette Marty-Groleas.
Expose themselves to rumination
Sometimes we are afraid to expose themselves and to confront what anxious. You can make an appointment with yourself at the end of the day to expose yourself to it and take the time to think about it. Then, we write the negative thoughts that come back in a loop, we see how we react, what sensations and emotions come, what is problematic, what could help us … “ We always try to come back in something very concrete and not in the abstract that generates more anxiety “Advises Juliette Marty-Groleas.
Test your solutions to take action
Going to action is a good way to stop ruminating in a vacuum. The psychologist therefore advises writing on a paper what comes to mind as a recurring negative thought. We list all the possible strategies that we can put in place to solve our problem or to have the impression of controlling it. Then, we note for each the pros and cons to decide which solution seems the most relevant. We test it and we see what is going on. “” By taking action, we are not a simple spectator of the rumination “Confirms the expert. This is how you can get over it over your thoughts.
Dorothée Blancheton
