Rumination, perhaps more than any other mental habit, shapes our emotional and physical health.

Early experiences help set the brain patterns that fuel recurring thought spirals.

Rumination can be redirected once its messages are understood.

How are you doing so far this year? For me, 2026 came in big, bringing with it both joy and terror. Amid restorative family time, playing Mahjong and watching Oscar-contender movies with my husband and children (my happy place!), we entered a very different territory. Overnight, my mom became critically ill. It’s been a very scary time. Add in the daily news, and a few new health problems of my own, and I don’t know how your nervous system is doing, but I’m struggling. I’m having to work harder than ever to manage my spiraling thoughts.

If I’m being honest, for some time, I’ve found myself caught up in relentless thought streams that don’t serve me. It’s made me a bit more forgetful, a shade more anxious, a lot more self-critical, and sometimes, even judgmental. Maybe you know what I mean? Perhaps you, too, are ruminating—getting caught in those sticky thought........

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