Rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions

Here are a few ways mental health professionals suggest you can take steps on your own to help break the cycle of rumination.

• Distract yourself with activities that will interrupt the negative thinking and focus on more positive memories.
• Try to deliberately recall times when things worked out even with challenges. Enlist the help of family or friends in remembering past positive experiences, times when things turned out well. This can help shift your thinking down a different path.
• Physical activity and change in environment, especially to a place that has positive associations for you, can help too.
• Try to separate out different problems or break down larger problems into smaller parts. Tackle one issue at a time. Make a step-by-step plan, be as specific as possible. Write it down. Then begin to move forward, taking action one step at a time.

*Reference: Psychiatry.com American Psychiatric Association

Our thoughts and beliefs can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, if you tell yourself, “I can’t do this,” it’s unlikely that you will put forth the levels of effort and dedication needed get the results you are aiming for. In turn, poor results and failure go on to confirm your initial thoughts: “See, I knew I couldn’t do it!”

Ineffective thinking and self-talk can turn repetitive and patterned. Patterns in our thoughts and self-talk, once established, become automatic and more difficult to challenge in the heat-of-the-moment.

Ineffective self-talk tends to be associated with adverse internal (e.g., higher anxiety) and external (e.g., lower-quality performances) outcomes that make it difficult to thrive and excel at work.

Research has found the following benefits are associated with effective self-talk:

• Increased confidence and self-esteem
• Improved performance outcomes and results
• Better able to cope with emotions and mental stress
• Increased optimism and resilience
• Increased motivation and engagement
• Higher levels of reported fun
• Less performance anxiety

If you are interested in becoming a Peer Support Member, or know someone that would be interested in joining, please contact our Peer Support Coordinator, Sasha Kim at sasha.kim@dallaspolice.gov.

There is no greater reward than being there to help a peer, watch them grow and know that you were a source of assistance in their time of need.

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