"I did something rather unusual last weekend whilst driving to the gym. I noticed that I hadn't listened to a word of the podcast playing in my car, so I decided to turn it off and let my mind ruminate. Given that I am such an advocate of mindful, somatic awareness, and my usual practice would be to redirect my thinking into my body, this course of action felt almost rebellious. But something made me pause and simply observe where my thoughts wanted to go."
"My mind was running scenarios, the conversation I might have, and the situations I could navigate. And, to my surprise, instead of the expected tightness, constriction, and agitation I would associate with destructive mind loops, I felt a little different. A sense of empowerment and control seemed to emerge. Rumination and Control We're generally told that rumination is bad-a perspective I would endorse for the most part."
"Psychologists Leonard Martin and Abraham Tesser (1996) have proposed an interesting framework called Control Theory. They suggest that rumination can serve a positive function of attempting to solve the gap between where we are and where we want to be when looking at important goals. Research distinguishes two types of rumination. Reflection rumination is the process of mentally rehearsing scenarios-this is when we imagine specific steps towards achieving a goal."
Allowing the mind to ruminate without external distraction can sometimes produce a sense of empowerment and control rather than agitation. Chronic rumination is linked to depression, anxiety, and psychological distress, but Control Theory proposes rumination may help close gaps between current state and desired goals. Two types of rumination exist: reflective rumination, which involves mentally rehearsing steps toward a goal and is adaptive, and brooding rumination, which entails passive dwelling on negativity and exacerbates distress. Assessing whether thinking is constructive or destructive helps determine whether rumination supports progress or undermines well-being.
Read at Psychology Today
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