Rumination ... Or Reflection? (Episode 112)
Disordered: Anxiety Help
Josh Fletcher and Drew Linsalata
4.9 • 663 Ratings
🗓️ 6 June 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What's the difference between rumination and reflection? Ruminators, worriers, and over thinkers often struggle to recognize the useful limits of thinking. They can become unsure when they are engaging in helpful reflection or problem solving .... and when they are ruminating and worrying with no good outcomes and often actual negative outcomes.
This week on Disordered Drew and Josh are digging in to the difference between rumination and reflection. Reflection is good. Rumination ... not so much. How can you tell the difference? Can you always tell the difference? Isn't thinking ALWAYS good because it solves problems? Why are your friends and loved ones looking at you sideways when you insist that worrying and thinking is a good move and they see you getting more and more agitated and anxious the more you think?
These questions and more on episode 112 of Disordered, so tune in.
Oh, and we also have a new sound effect this week. We're super pleased with that. 😂
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Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out Worry and Rumination Explained, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew. The workshop takes a deep dive into the mechanics of worrying and ruminating, offering some helpful ways to approach the seemingly unsolvable problem of trying to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What is reflection? |
| 0:03.8 | Reflection is when you look at something, when you're quite removed from it. |
| 0:09.2 | Rumination is never about actually solving a problem. |
| 0:12.4 | The problem you're trying to solve is, I'm upset now. |
| 0:15.2 | I've noticed I've spent 40 minutes ruminating there, and my mood is no better. |
| 0:20.4 | Even if you feel like you arrive at some sort of conclusion or you solve the problem at 10 a.m. if you're back at it again at 11 a.m. and then 1 p.m. and then the next day, and the same thing again and again, you're ruminating. You're not solving anything. I could tell you that the feeling that was driving the rumination or the act of worry, the repetitive worry, was fear. |
| 0:39.3 | The more I ruminate on this, the more I feel like I'm, air quotes, doing something, preventing bad things, and I have this illusion of control. |
| 0:53.3 | Welcome to Disordid. This is episode 112 entitled Reflection versus Rumination. I'm Joshua Fletcher, |
| 1:03.7 | also known as Anxiety Josh, and I'm a psychotherapist, author and content creator and TEDx speaker. |
| 1:10.7 | Who is the co-hosts of this wonderful podcast, specialize in working with anxiety and author and content creator and TEDx speaker. |
| 1:13.1 | Who is the co-host of this wonderful podcast, |
| 1:15.8 | specialize in working with anxiety and anxiety disorders? |
| 1:17.8 | And I'm joined by my co-host. |
| 1:19.8 | Yes, live from New York. |
| 1:20.8 | I'm Drew Insalada. |
| 1:24.8 | I am also a therapist that practices in the area of anxiety and anxiety disorders and a former sufferer of these problems and an author and |
| 1:27.8 | advocates, psychoeducator, social media dude, and guy with an expensive mic that hangs out |
| 1:33.8 | with Josh once a week to talk about this stuff. So welcome, welcome to episode 112. |
| 1:38.6 | Yeah, reflection versus rumination. You like your reflection, don't you, Drew? I like a good reflection. |
| 1:45.8 | Yeah, I want to turn down a good reflection. |
| 1:47.8 | You see his workout room, honestly. |
| 1:49.6 | It's just mirrors everywhere. |
... |
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