Stopping Obsessive Thoughts About The Past

Stopping Rumination

Rumination is a powerful form of deluded thinking.

You think about the past obsessively, despite the fact that you cannot change what happened.

You stew in your resentments, replay conversations, beat yourself up, and relive an event over and over.

It happens to all of us, and it can be quite painful.

Mindfulness practice helps you see those patterns clearly, respond to them with patient
understanding, and begin to detach yourself from their power.

Ruminating often shows up as “background noise”—

a constant stream of obsessive negativity shadowing you throughout the day.

This practice will help you call that inner voice into the light, dissect it, and, hopefully, diffuse some of its hold over you.

Close the eyes and allow the body to relax.

Use the breath to help encourage ease in the body.

With each exhale, soften the muscles of the body a bit more.

You may bring special attention to the abdomen, shoulders, and jaw.

Look at the thoughts going through the mind.

If you have been ruminating about something specific, acknowledge the event or situation about which you are thinking.

Turn this over in the mind, examining it from a place of curiosity and interest.

Begin cultivating equanimity, the state of balance and non-attachment in the midst of charged emotions.