339 SelfWork: The Five Mental Mistakes of Depression: Three. Ruminating About the Past
The SelfWork Podcast
Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2023
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This month is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as SelfWork has been named one of the ten top podcasts for depression by VeryWellMind for 2023 – I wanted to focus on just that. Depression. I’m pulling from a talk by Dr. Michael Yapko, an expert on depression, as he lists the five most common mental mistakes that people struggling with depression tend to make – those mistakes can cause depression to be increased, and can start a negative spiral that, given the right circumstances, could lead to depression or worsen it. But, as I heard Michele Obama say to a group of young women the other day, “You become what you practice being.” I couldn’t agree more.
So today we’ll talk about the habit of rumination. What’s that? It’s when you have one thought – a negative thought or a string of thoughts – that repeat themselves over and over again. I’ve heard it called a negative spiral or “letting myself drown in the past.” We'll compare it to the much healthier habit of self-reflection which isn't solely a "mental" practice, but also one that can blend in emotional feelings and dynamics. Maybe you do have feelings that still need to be worked through; rumination will probably not lead you there, whereas self-reflection just might. And I'll offer four things you can do to stop ruminating and make a healthier choice!
Our voicemail for today needs a trigger warning as it was left by someone who states that she's attempted suicide multiple times. A therapist has told her family that she’s only trying to get attention, and to ignore her. She’s asking me what my advice to her family might be… This is a complex subject, so I’ll answer it as simply as I can – and that may not do justice to her question.
Vital Links:
Have you been putting off getting help in 2023? BetterHelp, the #1 online therapy provider, has a special offer for you now!
Article on rumination in OCD by Kimberley Quinlan
You can hear more about this and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive my weekly newsletter including a blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!
My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life. And it's available in paperback, eBook or as an audiobook!
And there's another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
BetterHelp.
Our Sponsors: * Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is Selfwork, and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford. |
| 0:14.1 | At Selfwork, we'll discuss psychological and emotional issues common in today's world |
| 0:19.0 | and what to do about them. |
| 0:20.4 | I'm Dr. Margaret, and Selfwork is a podcast dedicated to you taking just a few minutes today |
| 0:26.2 | for your own Selfwork. |
| 0:29.8 | Hello and welcome or welcome back to Selfwork. |
| 0:32.4 | I'm so delighted you're here. |
| 0:34.8 | I started Selfwork six and a half years ago because I wanted to extend the walls of my |
| 0:39.4 | practice to those of you who might already be very interested in psychological issues. |
| 0:44.2 | Maybe you're in therapy to those of you who are looking for some answers because you're |
| 0:48.3 | confused or maybe you've just been diagnosed with something, but also to those of you who |
| 0:53.6 | might be a little skeptical about the whole therapy thing and what it's all about, |
| 1:00.0 | but you're either curious enough or unhappy enough to be listening here to Selfwork today. |
| 1:07.2 | So thank you all for being here. |
| 1:10.0 | May is Middle Health Awareness Month, and as Selfwork has been named one of the top 10 |
| 1:14.8 | podcasts for depression by very well-mined in 2023, I wanted to focus on depression. |
| 1:21.6 | I'm pulling from a talk by Dr. Michael Yapko, an expert on depression, as he lists the five |
| 1:28.0 | most common mental mistakes that people struggling with depression tend to make. |
| 1:33.2 | Those mistakes can cause depression, or can cause depression to be increased, |
| 1:37.8 | and can certainly start a negative spiral that, given the right circumstances, could lead to |
| 1:42.9 | depression occurring. Like I heard Michelle Obama say to a group of young women the other day, |
| 1:48.7 | you become what you practice being, and I couldn't agree more. So today we're going to talk about |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.