I used to see reflection - in work and life - as good as it helps us learn from our experiences.
But is there such thing as too much reflection?
Can reflection become rumination?
I asked myself this question when I listened to Chris Williamson's Modern Wisdom podcast with his guest Freya India.
She discussed therapy culture and how specifically girls are ruminating on thoughts that often lead to anxiety or depression. I recommend giving it a listen even for the 1st 30 minutes.
By definition, rumination is:
A repetitive and passive thought pattern, involves dwelling on negative experiences or situations, often focusing on the causes and effects of distress without actively seeking solutions or moving forward.
I see rumination show up:
At work - when multiple co-workers come together to complain about a problem, raising each others emotions more and more as it's shared collectively, and a lot of times no action is taken.
In life - when you're journaling about the same thing over and over again and no action is taken to change that.
We see this too in a culture where we are encouraged to reflect on everything, set goals, meditate, journal, go to therapy, etc.
Yes connection to others and ourselves are good parts of reflection, but when does it become excessive?
When does reflection become rumination?
How do we know we've gotten to that point?
The easy answer: at the point where no action is taken
The hard answer: when we no longer trust ourselves to take the next step forward
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I'll give you an example of when reflection became rumination for me (and maybe they will help you discover them in yourself)
A relationship I needed to get out of -
I thought having a daily journal practice was helpful in working through problems I was having in a relationship.
Until every journal entry day after day became about the same relationship problems with little to no action taken after.
Not to mention it came up in every therapy session and conversation with a friend.
Reflection quickly became rumination
It took until the rumination showed up in my body physically as heart pounding, headaches, and a constant pit in my stomach. Looking back, my intuition and body were telling me something needed to change.
What I learned from that experience is to not let to rumination get to that point. Take action.
When I eventually addressed the problems, they couldn't be resolved, and I decided to leave the relationship, the physical symptoms went away almost like a 500lb rock had been lifted off my chest.
I wish I hadn't ignored my feelings and reflections, and trusted myself more.
There are many other stories I could tell you about reflection becoming rumination.
Maybe you can relate to:
Creative projects not making it past the pages of my journal because of imposter syndrome
Over perfecting my business website, but not taking action to get actual sales
Not communicating with a co-worker about on-going problems to the point it built resentment
Hopefully 1 of these stories helps you reflect on your reflections (but not ruminate too much of course!).
Makes me believe that reflection becomes rumination when you no longer trust your thoughts and abilities.
Trust is built with ourselves when we write down what we want to do and then we do it. Again and again and again.
Your morning is a perfect time to build this muscle.
You can use what I call the NOW Model to not get stuck at N and O and take action NOW!
It may take many mornings and reps, but it's how we prove to ourselves that we can go from reflection to action.
Because everyone deserves to wake up feeling proud and trusting that there is a path forward.