Even though you may have met 95% of your goal or intention, you find yourself ruminating over and over about the 5% of the project that didn’t go right. Or they can be less specific, sounding like the shameful thoughts of general self-abuse: “I’m such a mess.” “I’m so lazy.” “I’m crazy, no wonder no one likes me.” Negative ruminations are a way to beat yourself up for not being perfect. The ruminating thoughts can reach far back into our history, repeating our greatest failures, regrets, or pains. It could be mistakes we’ve made or traumas we’ve suffered. Negative ruminations are usually about things that happened in the past that we don’t like. One is usually about the past, while the other is about the future. Within ruminating, there are two major ways to ruminate… Negative Rumination, and Anxious Rumination. ![]() Negative Ruminating Thoughts and Anxious Ruminating Thoughts In short, when you have ADHD and your Default Mode Network region is wired neurodivergent, it makes your mind wander on a continuous loop. With ADHD, that part of the brain is always turned on, which causes the endless look of intrusive thoughts to replay in your head like a bad song. The Default Mode Network is the part of the brain that regulates the compulsion to obsessively ruminate. But the neurodivergence of ADHD brains causes them to be prone to more rumination because of the wiring in the Default Mode Network of their brain. Just like neurotypical brains, ADHD brains are also programmed to focus on past mistakes and future dangers. Our human ancestors had to be on high alert for as many things that could go wrong as possible because losing focus could much more easily lead to death then than it would today. Our brains had to focus on the danger – and anticipate it everywhere – in order to survive. Think back to when our only human goal was survival, which wasn’t that long ago when we had to worry about things like protecting ourselves from wild animals and not falling off unmarked cliffs. All brains ruminate and are essentially programmed to do it. What are Ruminating Thoughts?ĪDHD brains aren’t the only ones prone to rumination. Like many things related to ADHD, being told to ‘just forget about it and relax’ or ‘just let it go’ are not helpful. At ATTN Center our caring team of therapists specializes in these ADHD-related issues and understands it takes specialized care to overcome them. Meaning, the more you try to ignore these thoughts, the more persistent they become. ![]() ![]() The tendency for impulsivity makes it difficult for Those with ADHD can often get burned by their impulsivity, so they can sometimes go to the opposite extreme and micro-analyze, especially in social situations. It can be hard to express all those thoughts at once, and difficult to prioritize which thought should be prioritized for sharing. When you have ADHD your mind is always on, which feels like thinking ten thoughts at once. You know it’s not healthy, and you wish you could think about anything else, but you can’t seem to stop yourself from having ruminating thoughts. No matter how hard you try to ignore them, those negative thoughts just keep coming back, replaying in your head over and over. Intrusive, obsessive, and ruminating thoughts are a part of living with ADHD. Why can’t I just turn off my brain? Ruminating Thoughts are Stressful
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