AVReading Newsletter June: Rumination
It is important to recognize that there is a difference between being a reflective practitioner and someone who becomes overwhelmed by their thoughts, fears, and anxieties. While there is a time when we need to let ourselves “be in our feelings” and to experience those emotions of pain and fear, productive reflection requires that we also bring a little more structure and intentionality to our thinking and meditations. The psychological term for excessive contemplation of oneself is called rumination. It is the mental process whereby someone ponders a past or future event until their emotional response has grown disproportionately to the impact of the original thought. Some people refer to it as a mental “rabbit hole.” Rumination is not abnormal, especially for teachers. Consider the many times you have driven home as you mentally replayed an event from the day. You likely spent a good amount of time revisiting the mom...