April 27, 2025

You know that feeling when something bothers you all day, and then the moment your head hits the pillow, it becomes the only thing you can think about? When you cycle through endless excuses or ways to undo a perceived misunderstanding? When you wake up at 4 AM, still obsessing over the same thought?

Yeah, me too. Welcome to the world of ADHD rumination.

What Is Rumination, Anyway?

For those of us with ADHD, rumination is like having a stuck record in our brains. The same thoughts play over and over, but they never reach a resolution. It’s mentally exhausting, emotionally draining, and incredibly frustrating.

Through my research and personal experience, I’ve learned that rumination isn’t just random – it actually comes in different forms:

Types of Rumination I Experience

1. Negative Rumination: This is when I replay past mistakes, embarrassing moments, or things I wish I’d done differently. My brain loves to dig up that awkward thing I said at a meeting three years ago at 2 AM.
2. Anxious Rumination: This is all about future worries – what might go wrong, how people might react, or catastrophizing about potential outcomes. This often keeps me up before important events.
3. Social Rumination: A subset of both above types that focuses specifically on social interactions. Did I say the wrong thing? Do they secretly dislike me? Should I have responded differently to that text?
4. Problem-Solving Rumination: This masquerades as productive thinking but often isn’t. It’s when I try to solve the same problem over and over without making progress.

Why Does My ADHD Brain Do This?

What I’ve discovered is that my ADHD brain isn’t just being cruel – there’s actually a neurological explanation for this tendency to ruminate:

• My brain is constantly seeking stimulation, and rumination provides intense mental activity (even if it feels terrible to me)
• The Default Mode Network (DMN) in my brain – what Dr. Hallowell calls “brain recess” – is more active in ADHD brains
• Executive dysfunction makes it harder for me to shift my attention away from these thoughts once they start
• The dopamine deficiency in my ADHD brain makes it harder to let go of emotionally charged thoughts

Understanding these factors has been crucial in my journey to manage rumination. It’s not a character flaw – it’s my brain’s wiring.

Strategies That Have Actually Helped Me

After years of middle-of-the-night anxiety spirals and days lost to rumination, I’ve found several strategies that actually help me break the loop:

1. Physical Movement

Nothing stops my rumination faster than getting my body moving. Even a quick walk around the block, some jumping jacks, or stretching can interrupt the thought cycle and bring me back to the present moment. The endorphins and dopamine from exercise are bonuses.

2. Externalizing Thoughts

Getting thoughts out of my head and into the physical world reduces their power. I keep a “rumination journal” by my bed for those middle-of-the-night thought spirals. Writing it down tells my brain, “We’ve stored this information, you can stop repeating it now.”

3. Scheduled Worry Time

This sounds counterintuitive, but it works for me. I set aside 15 minutes each day as designated “worry time.” When rumination starts outside that time, I tell myself, “Not now, I’ll think about this during worry time,” and write it down for later.

4. Pattern Interruption

When I catch myself ruminating, I’ll do something unexpected to break the pattern – snap a rubber band on my wrist, count backward from 100 by 7s, or name five blue objects I can see. This mental “pattern interrupt” creates space to redirect my thoughts.

5. Cognitive Reframing

I’ve learned to challenge my ruminating thoughts by asking: “Is this thought helpful?” “What evidence supports this thought?” “What would I tell a friend who had this thought?” This helps me see when my brain is catastrophizing or distorting reality.

6. Mindfulness Practice

Regular mindfulness meditation has strengthened my ability to observe thoughts without getting caught up in them. I’m not perfect at it, but even a few minutes daily has improved my ability to recognize “This is just a thought, not reality.”

7. Medication Management

Working with my doctor to optimize my ADHD medication has made a significant difference in reducing rumination. The right medication helps my executive function, which makes it easier to redirect my attention when needed.

The Hardest Part: Recognizing When It’s Happening

The trickiest aspect of rumination is that I’m often deep in the cycle before I even realize what’s happening. I’ve learned to watch for physical cues – tension in my shoulders, shallow breathing, or a feeling of mental “stuckness” – as early warning signs.

My partner has also learned to gently ask, “Are you ruminating right now?” when they notice me getting quiet and distant. Having someone who understands this aspect of ADHD has been invaluable.

A Compassionate Approach

What hasn’t worked? Beating myself up for ruminating. Self-criticism only adds another layer of negative thoughts to the cycle. Instead, I try to approach my ruminating brain with curiosity and compassion. “There goes my ADHD brain doing its thing again” is a more helpful response than “I can’t believe I’m wasting time thinking about this again.”

Progress, Not Perfection

I still ruminate. I still have nights where I can’t shut off my thoughts. But these episodes are less frequent, less intense, and don’t last as long as they used to. I count that as a win.

If you’re struggling with ADHD rumination, please know you’re not alone. Your brain isn’t broken – it’s just wired differently. With understanding, patience, and the right strategies, you can learn to work with your brain rather than against it.

Do you experience rumination with your ADHD? What strategies have helped you manage it? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

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Disclaimer: This blog post is based on my personal experience with ADHD and rumination. I’m not a healthcare professional. If rumination is significantly impacting your quality of life, please reach out to a qualified mental health provider.