Mini Episode #6-Rumination

Mini Episode #6-Rumination

Eric explores rumination and how damaging it can be to our mental health.

What is it?
What's the difference between rumination and self reflection?
Hebb's Law and the role it plays in rumination.
How to escape rumination.

Rough Transcript:

A few weeks ago I was at one of the local meditation centers and people were doing walking meditation. There was a guy walking incredibly slow and everyone was backing up behind him because no one but a disabled snail can move at that pace. So people weren’t doing walking meditation they were standing and looking at this guy with a grouchy look on their faces.
So I decided to stop him and explain that no one else could enjoy the meditation experience and it would be helpful if he could go just a bit faster.
A few minutes later we sat back down for sitting meditation and my mind began racing. Should I not have said anything? Was I rude? Was this guy angry? So I decided that when we got up I would go over to him and explain myself and make sure we were good. Problem solved….except not for my mind. On and on it went re-playing the scene and thinking about the upcoming conversation.
This is commonly know as rumination or brooding.
Rumination is the compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of one's distress, and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to its solutions. Rumination is generally considered differently than self-reflection. Self-reflelction tends to offer new insights wheras rumination is just playing the same negative thoughts and feelings over and over.

You will never plow a field by turning it over in your mind-
Irish Proverb

The challenge with rumination (or brooding) is that it feels like we are doing something about the issue or problem by continuing to think about it and ponder it. However rumination is extremely destructive and has been strongly linked to deep depression and anxiety. In fact a The UK's biggest ever online test into stress, undertaken by the BBC's Lab UK and the University of Liverpool, has revealed that rumination is the biggest predictor of the most common mental health problems in the country.
The tricky thing is that worry and rumination can seem essential part of coping effectively. The idea of letting go of rumination and worry can be frightening. The ironic thing is that rumination tends to increase anxiety and effectiveness in problem solving goes down as anxiety increases.
In addition a mind that ruminates becomes more likely to continue to do it. We have talked on the show about how we create pathways in our brain that become every easier to fall into the more reengage them. This is not a fanciful idea or silly positive thinking. Neurosccience has something called Hebbs Law. The phrase, “neurons that fire together wire together” The meaning of Hebb’s axiom is that each experience we encounter, including our feelings, thoughts, sensations, and muscle actions becomes embedded in the network of brain cells, that produce that experience. Each time you repeat a particular thought or action, you strengthen the connection between a set of brain cells or neurons.
Think of it like taking a walk in the woods. Your thoughts are like hikers. The first hiker has to blaze her own trail. But over subsequent trips a trail gets worn in to the ground and more and more hikers will take that trail. The more hikers that take the trail the clearer it becomes and the more likely that future hikers will take it. It takes much more energy to go off the trail. Our brains work the same way, there is a need to conserve energy. Our brains use about 25% of the body’s total energy so the brain is going to default to the neural circuits that take less energy.
So it’s important to determine whether we are ruminating or problem solving. If the thinking does not lead to a course of action within a reasonable period it is probably rumination.
Back to my story above, the first few minutes while I thought about the situation and came up with a plan of action was useful self- reflection and problem solving. Everything after that was useless rumination.
in our interview with Dan Harris he talks about the difference between useless rumination and what he calls constructive anguish . The question he asks himself is “Is this useful?” If it doesn’t lead to meaningful effective action then it is useless rumination.
If we are ruminating the most important thing is to come to a hard stop. As soon as the ruminative thought begins – that one that doesn’t lead to new insights but is the same path – you immediately have to distract yourself with something that requires concentration. The key at this point is to stop the cycle. We have to stop the brain cold, we need to stay off the path. So anything that distracts us and requires concentration will work. Play a game, solve a puzzle, anything is better than the rumination.
So a quick summary, brooding is the process of playing negative thoughts and emotions over and over. It is also extremely destructive. It is a key indicator of depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and heat disease. We need to interrupt the brooding as soon as it begins. The best way to do this is to immediately switch the brain to something that requires concentration.
Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:
Kino MacGregor
Strand of Oaks
Mike Scott of the Waterboys
Todd Henry- author of Die Empty
Randy Scott Hyde

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Michael Galinsky

Michael Galinsky

This week we talk to Michael Galinsky about the role of emotions in physical pain Michael Galinsky is an American filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer, and musician who has produced and directed a number of documentaries, including Battle from Brooklyn and Who Took Johnny. He also runs a production and distribution company called Rumur. He is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund his new film, All The Rage which is based on the pioneering work of Dr John Sarno. Dr Sarno is a leading figure in understanding the role of emotions in physical pain. In This Interview Michael and I Discuss...The One You Feed parable.The history of Dr John Sarno.How being a "goodist" can create strong repression and anger.How repressed emotions can cause physical pain.His family history with Dr. Sarno.His personal battles with pain.How Howard Stern, Larry David and John Stossel are fans of Dr. Sarno.How pain is a normal problem but chronic pain is a failure of the body to heal itself.The challenges in healing the emotional issues that can cause physical pain.The role of fear in causing physical complaints.Meditation practice as a way to manage challenging emotions.How pain can be a barometer of how we are doing emotionally.Knowing is not the same as doing.The difference between acceptance and repression.Michael Galinsky LinksMichael Galinsky TwitterMichael Galinksy/ Rumur Home pageAll the Rage Kickstarter campaign   Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:Kino MacGregorStrand of OaksMike Scott of the WaterboysTodd Henry- author of Die EmptyRandy Scott HydeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Dec 201437min

Mini Episode- The Exhaustion of Avoidance

Mini Episode- The Exhaustion of Avoidance

Eric discusses how tiring avoidance can be and proposes some solutions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Nov 20145min

Robert Biswas-Diener

Robert Biswas-Diener

This week we talk to Robert Biswas-Diener about the upside of your dark side.Robert Biswas-Diener  is a psychologist, author and instructor at Portland State University. Biswas-Diener's research focuses on income and happiness, culture and happiness, and positive psychology.  Robert has written a number of books including Happiness: Unlocking The mysteries of Psychological Wealth and The Courage Quotient, and his latest book is called The Upside of Your Darkside:Why Being Your Whole Self, Not Just Your "good"Self -Drives Success and Fulfilment which was co-written with Todd Kashdan. In This Interview Robert and I Discuss...The One You Feed parable.Embracing both sides of our nature.The benefits of anger, guilt and other "negative" emotions.Thinking of emotions as a thermometer.How only having positive emotions is like breaking a thermometer.How we may not get as stuck in negative emotions as we think we do.The benefits of being emotionally agile or flexible.How avoidance and suppression is a bad approach.That suppression is a very blunt tool and you can't selectively suppress certain emotions.How avoidance is "the tectonic issue of our times"Comfort addiction- we have the ability to be more comfortable than any time in history.How comfort is not the same as happiness.Finding the middle ground between comfort and effort.Knowing is not the same as doing."Avoiding problems also means avoiding finding the solution to them".Emotional Time Travel Errors.Allowing ourselves to experience disappointment.How the ability to tolerate some degree of psychological discomfort is one of the key attributes to successful living.Robert Biswas Diener LinksRobert Biswas-Diener HomepageRobert Biswas -Diener Coaching Training ProgramRobert Biswas Diener on TwitterRobert Biswas-Diener TED Talk  Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:Kino MacGregorStrand of OaksMike Scott of the WaterboysTodd Henry- author of Die EmptyRandy Scott HydeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Nov 201433min

Mini Episode- Excerpt from 7 Habits Course

Mini Episode- Excerpt from 7 Habits Course

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Nov 20146min

Jeffrey Rubin

Jeffrey Rubin

This week we talk to Jeffrey Rubin about the art of flourishingDr. Jeffrey Rubin is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on the integration of meditation and psychotherapy. In his ground-breaking and critically acclaimed Psychotherapy & Buddhism: Towards an Integration, Dr. Rubin forged his own unique synthesis of Eastern and Western thought. He illuminated each discipline’s strengths and weaknesses and the ways in which they could enrich each other. Dr. Rubin deepens and broadens his exploration of how a judicious blending of the best of the Eastern meditative and Western psychotherapeutic traditions offers us unmatched tools for living with greater awareness and freedom, wisdom and compassion. He is also the author of The Good Life: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Love, Ethics, Creativity, and SpiritualityIn his recent writing and workshops on The Art of Flourishing, Dr. Rubin is especially interested in illuminating both those forces in the world that are driving us crazy and those personal and collective resources we can draw on to not only stay sane, but to flourish in challenging times. In This Interview Jeffrey and I Discuss...The One You Feed parable.How our character is built by our habits.How what we focus on grows.How outrage and anger can be useful.The danger of demonizing negative emotions.How western psychology and eastern meditative complement each other.The blind spots of western psychology and meditation.The three steps of meditative psychotherapy.A great story with the legendary yoga teacher TKV Desikachar.The different ways to meditate and how one size doesn't fit all.The importance of appreciating beauty.The three types of beauty.Broadening our conceptions of beauty.Learning to appreciate the world around us.Expanding inner space.How self care is the foundation for intimacy."Cotton candy self care"Dr. Jeffrey Rubin LinksJeffrey Rubin HomepageJeffrey Rubin on Facebook Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:Kino MacGregorStrand of OaksMike Scott of the WaterboysTodd Henry- author of Die EmptyRandy Scott HydeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19 Nov 201439min

Bonus Re-Release: Andrew Solomon

Bonus Re-Release: Andrew Solomon

Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture and psychology.Solomon’s newest book, Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity, published on November 13, 2012, won the National Book Critics Circle award for nonfiction among many other awards. The New York Times hailed the book, writing, “It’s a book everyone should read… there’s no one who wouldn’t be a more imaginative and understanding parent — or human being — for having done so… a wise and beautiful book.”  People described it as “a brave, beautiful book that will expand your humanity.”Solomon’s previous book, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Scribner, 2001), won the 2001 National Book Award for Nonfiction, was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize, and was included in The Times of London‘s list of one hundred best books of the decade. A New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback editions, The Noonday Demon has also been a bestseller in seven foreign countries, and has been published in twenty-four languages.  The New York Times described it as “All-encompassing, brave, deeply humane… a book of remarkable depth, breadth and vitality… open-minded, critically informed and poetic all at the same time… fearless, and full of compassion.”In addition he recently conducted an exclusive interview with Peter Lanza, father of Adam Lanza, perpetrator of the Sandy Hook School shooting. It was published in The New Yorker and received an enermous amount of media coverage. In This Interview Andrew and I Discuss…The One You Feed parable.Using work to make the world a better place.The urgent business of living a moral life.How to decide what we should change and what we should accept.How hope can become the cornerstone of misery.The challenges and joys of parenting disabled children.The perfectionism of privilege.The importance of the choice to celebrate what is versus wishing it to be different.How we can grow through difficult circumstances.The poison of comparison.The idea of the “psychological supermodel”.Layering feelings of failure onto depression and how damaging that is.Learning to celebrate our difficulties and differences.A beautiful and hopeful reading on depression.How critical humor is in dealing with depressionNew approaches to treating depression.His ongoing challenges with depression and anxiety.The shame of mental illness.If you banish the dragons, you banish the heroes.A life that is only luxury and pleasure tends to feel rather hollow and empty.How sparing our children from all adversity is a bad idea.The choices we face.How encounters with darkness give us the energy to feed our good wolf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15 Nov 201435min

Dan Wilson

Dan Wilson

[powerpress]  This week we talk to Dan WilsonThis is another interview that has great personal significance to us. Dan was part of Trip Shakespeare which is one of Eric's all-time favorite bands. He also went on to form Semisonic another band that we loved.Dan Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and visual artist. He is known as the leader of the band Semisonic, for which he wrote the Grammy-nominated "Closing Time" and the international hit "Secret Smile." Wilson has also released several solo recordings, including the 2014 release Love Without Fear. He was also a member of the Minneapolis psychedelic rock band Trip Shakespeare.Wilson is also an acclaimed and highly successful co-writer and producer, who has collaborated with a diverse array of artists including: Adele, Pink,Keith Urban, Weezer, Dierks Bentley, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Nas, Spoon, Alex Clare, Birdy, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.His collaborations have earned him two Grammy Awards. His first was the 2007 Song of the Year Grammy for "Not Ready to Make Nice," one of the six songs he co-wrote with the Dixie Chicks for their Album of the Year winning Taking the Long Way. Wilson also shared in the 2012 Grammy for Album of the year for his work as a producer of the hit "Someone Like You," one of the three songs he co-wrote with Adele for her album 21. In This Interview Dan and I Discuss...The One You Feed parable.Neither wolf wins permanently, the battle always goes on.How what we focus on grows.How a good plan and acting is better than waiting on a great plan.Nurturing our gifts to the world.How malleable our lives and character really are.The meaning between Love Without Fear.What stands out to him from the Trip Shakespeare time.How Trip Shakespeare wrote songs.The Trip Shakespeare re-release project.The art of reinterpretation.Dealing with comparison and envy.Life changing advice from Frank StellaDan Wilson LinksDan Wilson HomepageDan Wilson 6 Second SongwritingDan Wilson TumblrDan Wilson TwitterDan Wilson Facebook Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:Kino MacGregorStrand of OaksMike Scott of the WaterboysTodd Henry- author of Die EmptyRandy Scott HydeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10 Nov 201436min

Alex LIckerman

Alex LIckerman

Alex Lickerman is a physician, former assistant professor of medicine and director of primary care, and current assistant vice president for Student Health and Counseling Services at the University of Chicago. He’s also been a secular Buddhist since 1989. His first book is The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self. In This Interview Alex and I Discuss...The One You Feed parable.Neither wolf wins permanently, the battle always goes on.How things that don't kill us can make us stronger but it doesn't happen automatically.Building an indestructible self.How our inner life state has much more to do with how we cope with adversity than the nature of that adversity.Suffering doesn't automatically cause us to grow.Learning to accept unpleasant feelings.How our strategies to avoid pain usually make it worse.Non judgmental awareness of our feelings is often better than resistance.The secret to success is not avoiding pain but carrying on in spite of it.That our internal pep talks have to be believable.The difference between optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles.How obstacles always arrive on our path.That the last thing we do is look internally to see what we need to change in order to achieve a goal.Sometimes the way to solve a problem is not to fix it but to change how much we allow it to suffer.How suffering ceases to be suffering when it acquires meaning.Using comparison to be a positive force versus a destructive force.The difference between determination and willpower.Alex Lickerman LinksHappiness In This World- Alex Lickerman run siteAlex Lickerman homepageAlex Lickerman on TwitterAlex Lickerman on Facebook  Some of our most popular interviews that you might also enjoy:Kino MacGregorStrand of OaksMike Scott of the WaterboysTodd Henry- author of Die EmptyRandy Scott HydeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Nov 201437min

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