i want to ask y'all a question: can rumination not only be sitting and just running stuff through my head? like can posting be rumination???? i just want to know so i could label it as that and try to maybe limit it?

I have really started to take control of my compulsions and im starting to string together better days! Still not great days or even good, but they are better!!! I have controlled my outward compulsions (googling, research, reassurance, checking) the past couple of days and felt the positive impact of that. But unfortunately, I am realizing that the rumination is still constant. My sexuality and relationship are the only two things constantly on my brain, and if they aren’t I freak out and wonder why im not thinking about them! Anyone have any advice on how to deal with the rumination. Sometimes I don’t even notice im doing it, but it’s taking up 90% of my day. Once I start to tackle this I think I may make some real big progress! Hope everyone is fighting today! ❤️

I've been told it's impossible to "push intrusive thoughts away", but also that rumination is a compulsion. What is rumination vs. overthinking? And how do I stop ruminating properly and healthfully?

You’re all ruminating!!! My therapist put it best when I told him, “rumination is my biggest compulsion.” He replied, “rumination is the overarching compulsion, every other one falls under it.” The real muscle you’re trying to train when it comes to uncertainty is the ability to stop ruminating. Rumination isn’t the same as regular thinking, it’s thinking with your will behind it. Your mind will naturally wander and generate thoughts, like clouds drifting across the sky, but ruminating is like grabbing a cloud and trying to squeeze rain out of it. That’s not natural thinking anymore, that’s you forcing the process. And here’s the part people struggle to believe: ruminating is a choice. You can choose not to chase every thought. The key is refusing to treat a thought as gospel truth. Instead, leave it where it is, neutral, just another car passing on the freeway. If you stop running into traffic and just let them drive by, the road gets clearer. The more you practice this, the stronger your “uncertainty muscle” becomes. At first it feels painful, like going to the gym after years of inactivity. But over time, the soreness turns into strength, and what used to weigh you down becomes easier to carry, or not carry at all.