Working Conversations Episode 73:

How to Stop Ruminating and Feel Better

Are you reliving a past circumstance that makes it hard to feel better in the present? Or maybe you have a recent situation that you can’t stop ruminating about?

Whether we like it or not, we all go through bad experiences in our life. No one is exempt from having an accident, getting sick, being fired, or getting negative feedback. Even me: I recently had a fender bender with an inexperienced driver.

As human beings, we are vulnerable when something bad happened to us, or even to our family members and friends. We feel stressed when things we wished for turned out differently.

I’ve seen a lot of people reliving their bad situations in life.  Situations that have already taken a toll on their mental health or even with their daily life.

In this episode, I share a technique called cognitive reappraisal that will help you feel better right away. It is an intentional process of reinterpreting stressful situations to reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions.

Don’t get me wrong, my friend, I am not suggesting that we sugarcoat trauma or anything of the sort. If a loved one dies, grieve. If you are harassed or bullied on the job, report it. And if you are experiencing depression or anxiety or any other mental health issue, get the help you need from trained therapists and other medical professionals.

The process of cognitive reappraisal helps us keep things in perspective. It helps from getting stuck on something and replaying it in the mind’s eye. In short, we feel better as a result of cognitive reappraisal.

As promised, here’s how you could use cognitive reappraisal for smaller events that lend themselves toward interpreting as negative and holding a negative spin over your life:

• Are there any positive outcomes that might come from this situation?
• What can you be grateful about in this situation?
• How are you better off than before this situation occurred?
• How have you grown and transformed as a result of this situation?

This episode is going to change your perspective on negative circumstances in your life and will help you feel better right away.

Listen and catch the full episode here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Download it and share this episode with a friend whom you think got a situation that needs some cognitive reappraisal to help them make feel better. Don’t forget to leave a review and 5-star rating, it would mean the world to me.