{"id":774,"date":"2026-03-03T08:19:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T08:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mentalhealth.digitalgrowthrevealed.com\/?p=774"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:19:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T08:19:47","slug":"how-to-stop-depressive-rumination-overthinking-part-3-stop-dwelling-on-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mentalhealth.digitalgrowthrevealed.com\/?p=774","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Depressive Rumination: Overthinking Part 3 Stop Dwelling on the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CRc9WJfpcKc\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Learn how to stop depressive rumination and overthinking. Discover effective strategies to stop dwelling on the past and improve mental health.<br \/>\nJoin Therapy in a Nutshell\u2019s membership: https:\/\/courses.therapyinanutshell.com\/membership<br \/>\nYou&#8217;ll get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&amp;As, and a supportive community for just $27\/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience so that you can live a deeply rich and meaningful life!<\/p>\n<p>Want individualized support to stop dwelling on the past? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional counselor from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https:\/\/betterhelp.com\/therapyinanutshell<\/p>\n<p>Depressive rumination is a type of overthinking where you create the habit of dwelling on the past. You rehash all the terrible things you can think of over and over and over. Depressive rumination says \u201cWhy is life so awful? Why am I such a failure? Why can\u2019t I ever be happy?\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>Rumination is like ruts in a road, whenever you\u2019re not paying attention, you slip back down into thinking about all your regrets. But then you spin your wheels, you think and think but never get anywhere. One of my other clients, Elena, constantly dwelt in the past, she\u2019d Ruminate like this \u201c Why did I buy this car? I\u2019m such an idiot!\u201d Or she\u2019d say \u201cWhy am I so depressed?\u201d  and she\u2019d worry about it for hours every day, for months. But she didn\u2019t just dwell in the past, she projected it into the future. In session she\u2019d often say \u201cWhat if my depression never gets better?\u201d.<br \/>\nAnother type of rumination is dwelling on how you were mistreated.  Maybe your dad shamed you when you came out to him as gay, or your boss threw you under the bus at work, or your lover ghosted you, and you spend hours of your day wondering why they did that, alternating between resentment towards them and wondering if it was your fault.<br \/>\nRumination might also look like fantasizing about how your life could have been better if you had done things differently. Rumination contributes to depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. <\/p>\n<p>Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https:\/\/courses.therapyinanutshell.com\/?utm_medium=YTDescription&amp;utm_source=YouTube<br \/>\nSupport my mission on Patreon: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/therapyinanutshell<br \/>\nSign up for my newsletter: https:\/\/courses.therapyinanutshell.com\/free-resources<br \/>\nCheck out my favorite self-help books: https:\/\/kit.co\/TherapyinaNutshell\/best-self-help-books<br \/>\nCheck out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https:\/\/tinpodcast.podbean.com\/<\/p>\n<p>Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.<br \/>\nIn therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life&#8217;s direction.<br \/>\nAnd deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/comeuntochrist\/believe<\/p>\n<p>If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https:\/\/suicidepreventionlifeline.org\/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.<br \/>\nCopyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to stop depressive rumination and overthinking. Discover effective strategies to stop dwelling on the past and improve mental [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mentalhealth.digitalgrowthrevealed.com\/?p=774\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Stop Depressive Rumination: Overthinking Part 3 Stop Dwelling on the Past - Mental Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to stop depressive rumination and overthinking. 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