Reflection and Rumination

For many, this time marks the beginning of the holiday season. The weather is changing, our favorite drinks are available at Starbucks, and many people start making plans for the holidays. This time of year is also a time for reflection. Thanksgiving is often used to reflect on what we are thankful for, Christmas is a time to give back and celebrate those we love, and New Years is a time to reflect on ourselves. With all the reflection people tend to do around this time of year, I thought I would write about the differences between reflection and rumination.

When we spend time on reflection, we relive past experiences and gain wisdom from them. When we ruminate, we obsess over the things that went wrong in the past. When we reflect, bad things cross our mind, but we can deal with them and let them pass. When we ruminate, the bad things become the only things. That one time when you were a teenager and tripped in front of the person you liked suddenly becomes the most important thing in your brain, and there is no room for anything else. And for introverts like myself, rumination happens a lot. I often find myself unable to do anything productive because I am stuck obsessing over something negative. With frequent rumination, depressed mood and thoughts of suicide can easily happen.

So what can be done? The best way to combat negative rumination is with positive rumination. As hard as it is to recognize sometimes, the negative is only part of our world. There are also positive things, and they deserve some recognition. If it is hard for you to find positive memories, force yourself to go out and make some. Give back to the community, now is the best time to do it. Improve your mood by seeing the look of gratitude on the face of someone who needs help. That way, you can reflect on the positive memories and avoid ruminating on the negative ones.

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