Most people assume stress comes from what is happening around them.
The deadlines. The finances. The family responsibilities. The health concerns. The endless list of things that need attention.
But sometimes the greatest drain on our energy is not what is happening around us. It’s what is happening inside our own minds.
At Body Bella, we spend a great deal of time talking about physiology, stress hormones, inflammation, metabolic safety, and the body’s survival responses. What many people don’t realize is that our thoughts can become part of that stress response.
A difficult conversation gets replayed over and over.
A mistake from last week keeps resurfacing.
A comment someone made continues to echo in our minds long after the moment has passed.
We tell ourselves we’re trying to solve a problem, gain clarity, or figure something out. Yet instead of moving forward, we find ourselves exhausted, distracted, frustrated, and emotionally drained.
Psychology Today recently published an excellent article by Donna Jackson Nakazawa called “5 Signs That Your Mind Is Stuck in Rumination.” The article explores the difference between healthy reflection and repetitive thought patterns that keep us stuck.
As I was reading it, I was reminded of how often I see this in the women who come through Body Bella.
Many of them are highly capable women. They care deeply about their families, their work, and the people around them. They are problem-solvers. They are planners. They are responsible.
Those qualities serve them well in many areas of life.
Until the mind starts replaying the same concerns repeatedly without creating a solution.
The article offers five simple questions to help determine whether you’re processing something productively or whether you’re caught in a loop.
Are you gaining a new perspective, or simply going around in circles?
Do you feel like you’re choosing to think about the issue, or does it feel like the thoughts are choosing you?
Are you replaying familiar stories you’ve heard many times before?
Do you feel better after thinking about the issue, or worse?
Will this situation truly matter a month or a year from now?
These questions may seem simple, but they are surprisingly powerful.
One of the concepts we teach frequently at Body Bella is that the body’s primary job is survival. When your nervous system continually receives signals of stress, uncertainty, conflict, or perceived threat, it responds accordingly.
That doesn’t mean every stressful thought causes a health problem.
It does mean that living in a constant state of mental tension can make it harder to experience the calm, safety, and regulation that support overall well-being.
Sometimes the goal is not to think harder.
Sometimes the goal is to notice that you’ve been thinking about the same thing for the fiftieth time and ask yourself whether that thought is actually serving you.
The article makes another important point. Recognizing rumination is not about criticizing yourself. It is about becoming aware.
Awareness creates choice.
Once you recognize the pattern, you can begin redirecting your attention toward something more constructive, whether that is having a conversation, taking an action step, seeking support, spending time in prayer, taking a walk, journaling, or simply allowing yourself to step away from a thought that is no longer helping.
If you’ve ever found yourself replaying conversations, worrying about what someone thinks of you, revisiting old mistakes, or feeling mentally exhausted from carrying the same concerns day after day, you’re not alone.
The good news is that awareness is often the first step toward change.
For a deeper look at these five questions and the research behind them, I encourage you to read the original article by Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
Read the original article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-last-best-cure/202605/5-signs-that-your-mind-is-stuck-in-rumination
Keep going,
Dr. Brookh Lyons
Founder, Body Bella
You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be supported.
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1:00pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Body Bella
2920 S Webster Ave #101
Green Bay, WI 54301
OFFICE HOURS
By Appointment
Monday
1:00pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday
Closed
Saturday & Sunday
Closed
Body Bella
2920 S Webster Ave #101
Green Bay, WI 54301
(920) 695-5561