Psychology
Anger: when it becomes a problem and how to manage it
Anger is a normal emotion. It becomes a problem when it is frequent, intense or harmful — and venting it tends to make it worse, not better.
27 Sept 20269 min read
Rumination
Pronounced roo-mih-NAY-shun
Also known as Overthinking, Brooding, Repetitive negative thinking
Going over the same upsetting thoughts again and again — why something happened, what it means, what is wrong with you — without reaching a solution. It deepens low mood.
In Psychology
Rumination is repetitive, passive dwelling on problems and feelings and their causes: replaying an argument, asking "why me?", going over a mistake at night. It feels like working the problem out, but it rarely leads to action.
It is one of the strongest links between stress and : research shows it helps both bring on and prolong depressive episodes, and it is common in too. It is much of what people mean by overthinking.
Worry usually looks forward ("what if…"); rumination usually looks back ("why did…"). Both are forms of repetitive negative thinking.
What helps
- Noticing it and naming it: "I am ruminating again."
- Asking whether there is a concrete next step — if so, take it; if not, switch to something absorbing
- , -based approaches and , which target it directly
Where this comes up
Psychology
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): how it works
CBT helps you spot the thoughts and habits that keep anxiety and low mood going, and test them in real life. What happens in sessions, what it treats, and its limits.
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Psychology
Exercise and mental health: how movement helps depression and anxiety
Regular exercise, including brisk walking, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety in clinical trials. It works best as part of care, not instead of it.
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Psychology
Insomnia: causes, CBT-I and when sleeping pills help
Insomnia disorder means poor sleep at least three nights a week for three months, with daytime effects. CBT-I, not sleeping pills, is the first-line treatment.
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Related terms
- DepressionClinical depression, Major depressive disorderA medical condition in which low mood or loss of interest lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, and affects sleep, energy and daily life.
- CatastrophisingCatastrophizing, Catastrophic thinkingJumping to the worst possible outcome and treating it as likely, or treating an uncomfortable situation as unbearable. A common thinking habit in anxiety.
- Cognitive distortionCognitive distortions, Thinking errorsA habitual, inaccurate way of reading events — such as all-or-nothing thinking or mind reading — that makes things seem worse than they are. Spotting them is central to CBT.
- MindfulnessMindfulness meditation, MBCTPaying deliberate, non-judging attention to the present moment — breathing, body, surroundings, and thoughts as they come and go. It is a skill used in several therapies and for everyday stress.
- Behavioural activationBA, Behavioral activationA structured therapy for depression that gets you back into rewarding and meaningful activities in small, planned steps, rather than waiting until you feel like it.