You're with a close friend, and out of nowhere, a remark your friend makes reminds you of a problem you've been dealing with that you'd rather not think about. Now you can't get it out of your mind. Although you've heard that ruminating over your worries isn't a great coping strategy, those thoughts are taking over, and you're not sure what to do. Should you share your feelings with your friend? Should you just try to distract yourself? Or both?
If you ruminate habitually, you might also ask yourself, was there a time when rumination was helpful to you or would have been? Maybe you grew up in a home where outbursts were common, and reflecting on your "mistakes" repeatedly gave you an illusion of power to avoid someone's wrath.
