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Christina Corwin's avatar

LOVE this, thank you for sharing! Great timing to receive it as well. It is definitely my achilles heel and I didn't have tangible action plan. I can see how it impacts my mental wellbeing and can spiral down a bunny hole pretty fast if left out of control. Even starting my own Substack has offered a great outlet and expression.

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Dr. Samantha Boardman's avatar

Glad you found this useful ❤️

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Roman S Shapoval's avatar

very helpful information- exhaling is underrated! Our species is primed to move, or meditate and be blissfully calm. Rumination is that gray area of stagnation. Eck. Gotta move!

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Mike's avatar

I understand the bunny hole Christina. Nearly a black hole if I allow it.

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Jane VeganforAnimalsAlexander's avatar

Thank you - i will try to remember some of this and use it

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PK Reich's avatar

Thank you for these tools. I have been through so much recently since Covid, that the clutter in my head was making so much noise. It has been difficult to identify solutions that can get me out of my own head. Thank you, much appreciated.

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Mike's avatar

This was terrific and spot on Samantha. You must know me. I'm always looking in my rear view mirror of life and ruminating as to what was. Thank you for these tips!!!

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Dr. Samantha Boardman's avatar

I'm glad you found these strategies to be helpful!

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Christina Hazzard's avatar

Thanks for this. Sent off to family member.

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Dr. Samantha Boardman's avatar

Thank YOU for sharing The Dose 🙏

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Mare Meyer's avatar

Thank you. First generation Irish here. It's in our DNA. I will take your suggestions and actions to heart.

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Dr. Samantha Boardman's avatar

I hope these strategies will be life-enhancing for you!

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Pam Brooks's avatar

Thank you for this advice. I discovered my problem with rumination several years ago. I still lean toward it but am now aware of it - and do something to stop it. Weather permitting, a walk or hike outside by myself is helpful. Another thing I've tried is going to the garden center and looking at plants.

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Dr. Samantha Boardman's avatar

Pam - recognizing when you are ruminating is hard in the moment, but so necessary. I'm glad that you have strategies in place to interrupt negative thinking patterns. A visit to the garden center sounds lovely!

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Telford's avatar

These are good suggestions. I have another.

I was in a bad habit of rumination and mild depression that exercise, diet, sleep, socializing (the usual approaches) hadn't been able to overcome, and beat it after reading a helpful chapter on rumination in a book called _The Depression Cure_.

How to get out of a habit of thinking about oneself?! You can't just "not think about yourself." As a Christian, I practice intercessory prayer, which is fancy language for praying for others. So when I caught myself ruminating, I'd just shift my focus on someone in need, prayed briefly for that person, then got back to what I was doing when I drifted into ruminating. That built a habit of getting and staying out of my own head. I had to stay patient with myself because it takes time to weaken one habit and strengthen a countervailing one. But weeks later I realized my depression had lifted at some point. Feel free to try it!

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Ruel Maekar's avatar

It's what we add to rumination that can make it even worse, such as mixing in a dose of paranoia. It is good to know we can get ourselves from this rut and also to see how we add to its potent effects.

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