[susurration]

(healthy rumination being not thinking over and re experiencing bad experiences in an obsessive, self destructive manner, and instead reflecting and re experiencing in a more constructive manner).



I think dreams and diary entries are important for me to retain experiences for me to draw knowledge out of them. Sometimes I don't fully experience something until I remember it and relive it in my mind, which gives me the opportunity to get something "new" from it every time.

I enjoy looking back at old photos or things from the past (but I only do it when I need to, perhaps every 6 months to a year). I find it really centers me and makes me feel grounded when I forget myself or when I feel "lost".

I sometimes experience the full brunt of empathy during rumination. Something triggers (ne) me to think about someone and their experience (si) then I think about what they mean to me (fi) and how much I actually do care about them or I think about something someone I know has experienced. Sometimes I kind of forget, and then suddenly it hits me and I feel an overwhelming sense of empathy... without anyone else around me.

I've found the simplest way to give meaning to my life is to constantly take the time to reflect on things. Everything from the small smile I got from someone in class, to the sunset at night, and perhaps the theories i've read through the day.

I don't think being caught up in the past is healthy, but reflecting is important to me to get the full sense of the experience. I'm never fully there, so I have to think over it and reflect on it at a later date, so I can fully appreciate it.


What other things do you get out of healthy rumination and reflection on experiences or your own life? how important is reflecting and ruminating to you?

[Raichan]

I read inspirational quotes, and reflect on how they can help me in my perception of past, present and future.

For example, this quote lately hits it home a lot of times for me;

I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of imagination.
John Keats

I also look at photos to remind myself about how I viewed love from past till now, how I changed but kept some core parts of myself, etc.

[Shorttail]

In this moment I honestly can't recall any bad experience I've been able to look back at and feel better about. Some I only recall to make myself feel worse, some I marginalize, and the rest I ignore or have successfully cleaned out of my memory. I don't like the thought of looking back.

[Luke]

I find ruminating on childhood can be very healthy. Because you can remember who you were and where you came from and gain a new understanding of yourself.

[refugee]

There's a couple things I get out of healthy rumination:

1. Sense of purpose:
- Get a renewed sense of purpose and direction
- Find out WHY I should be doing WHAT with my life
- Realize that interruptions of life goals should not always be construed as tragic but could be viewed as fortuitous
- Accept that even in the face of utter absurdity, life has meaning

2. Sense of being:
- Internalize the things that matter to me on a spiritual level which contribute to a healthy sense of self
- Realize that I am not alone, even though I am alone
- Realize that my sense of alienation can be overcome when I re-align myself with the divine spark

[Sily]

It's fun to look back, I appreciate the past. I do it because it was a part of my life at one time. I guess I should add there hasn't been much trauma @ at all in my life. When I look back it's good.

[rowingineden]

I find that it helps me deal with especially difficult situations in my life to spend a lot of time sorting through and reflecting on them. It's a gradual process that helps me actually heal and learn from my past. Additionally, I become really good at describing my experiences and relating to similar ones others have, and becoming a sort of advocate or example for them, "I know you can get through this, because I have," or something like that. I grow a lot as a person and know myself a lot more than most this way. I have a really advanced level of metacognition, existential and moral philosophy, etc. because of all the reflection I tend to do.