Hit the Brakes on Your Runaway Brain

Rumination can feel like being on a speeding train— a thought pops into your head and picks up steam, and bam, you're on a quick trip to Sucksville. In this installment of the Power Up Program, WD Editor in Chief Meaghan B Murphy reminds you that you're the conductor of your brain and helps you stop those negative thought patterns in their tracks.

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Does your brain keep replaying a facepalm moment, a problem, a failure, a stressful situation, or another terrible thing? It’s normal to get latched on to negative thoughts. When folks see photos meant to elicit negative, positive, or neutral feelings, the negative images trigger more activity in their brains. It’s just the way people are made.

But if your mind swims in the muck for too long—if your brain’s natural negativity bias spirals into stewing, dwelling, and obsessing—you’ll drown. Studies show that the more you ruminate, the higher your risk for depression and anxiety and feelings of anger and aggression. Rumination can make it harder to solve problems; even worse, it not only sets your brain ablaze but also cranks up your body’s physiological stress response. Altogether, it’s a mega drain on mental and physical energy.

Here’s How to Get Your Mind to Call a Halt

PRESS PAUSE. When you start to obsess, take a moment or a breath to notice what you're doing. Don’t beat yourself up, but think about the futility of what’s happening. Similar to a technique experts say helps parents keep their cool when their kids inch dangerously close to getting on their last nerve, this works amazingly well when your brain tries to lock you into a marathon viewing of Everything’s Terrible. Pausing is mindfulness in action, and studies consistently show that people trained in mindfulness stew less and that elements of mindfulness such as acting with awareness, not judging, and being less reactive reduce rumination.