Self-Compassion: Mindfulness Vs. Rumination

Written with the assistance of guest blogger: Samantha Toffoli, (@inclusive_dietitian on instagram)

In the first year of my master’s program, our college offered a Mindfulness and Health course. Initially, I was thrilled to hear I could meditate once a week for graduate credit. I enrolled in the course with no expectations for the semester, purely walking into this experience, thinking I would be attending a relaxing yoga class every week. However, through the 16-week course, I learned that mindfulness is more than sitting in silence on a yoga mat. 

On one of the first days of the course, the instructor challenged us to think of how often we catch ourselves ruminating on the past or planning for the future. She reminded us that sometimes we forget that the only tie we have to the present is this current moment. How often do you find yourself mentally miles away from this present moment? At times, we may get lost in replaying past events or planning where our life will go over the next few years. Identifying when we find ourselves mentally in the past or future and bringing attention back to the present is where the journey towards mindfulness begins. 

Mindfulness can be defined as an overall awareness of moment-to-moment experiences.

Mindfulness is an essential component of self-compassion as it allows us to acknowledge our negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions and respond in a loving and kind way.

Achieving mindfulness can be strengthened through structured or unstructured exercises. An example of structured mindfulness practice could include a 15-minute meditation or body scan. Non-structured mindfulness practice could be noticing your steps while you walk on the sidewalk or observing the taste and texture of each bite of food during your snack. 

Rumination, on the other hand, is a thought pattern where we continue to focus and recall past experiences. Ruminating on thoughts of the past brings them to the central focus of your mind and exaggerates those moments, potentially leading to more worry or anxiety along the way.

Through mindfulness, it is possible to notice when rumination may begin and refrain from continuing down the path of exaggeration. 

Mindfulness is an ever-growing practice and it can feel frustrating at first to slow down and sit with our thoughts. However, with a little practice every day, achieving a mindful state can help us become more self-compassionate.