In human society there is such a thing as mental chewing gum or chewing gum for the brain. What does this mean? In essence, this expression can be called what our thoughts, intellect, and our gray matter are attracted to. We kind of get stuck on this thing. For example, mental chewing gum includes TV series, entertainment shows on TV, YouTube channels of some authors, computer games, crosswords and much more. Also, the essence of the expression chewing gum for the brain can be interpreted as an activity that does not bring any real benefit. By the way, scientifically it is called rumination.
It's good if what you're stuck on brings you benefits. But in most cases, mental chewing gum does not provide any benefit. Time is wasted, vision deteriorates, headaches hurt, the brain becomes foggy, laziness and apathy appear.
The main thing is to stop sticking in time and realize that this will not lead you to your goal. If you have a goal, of course. Just the next time you get stuck on something, ask yourself: “Will this lead me to my goal?” And if not, stop sticking and the mental chewing gum will go away.
Mental chewing gum is when one obsessive thought is spinning in your head that you just can’t get rid of. Only one thing will help here - redirection ! To do this you need to train your mind. Concentrating on one subject for several minutes every day. The time needs to be increased every day. When you concentrate, try to get away from those thoughts that intrude and try to distract you.
What is mental chewing gum?
Mental gum is a thought that arises in the head and is difficult, and in some cases almost impossible, to get rid of. They are intrusive, appearing in the head regardless of a person’s desire.
These thoughts are groundless, arise on their own, and do not carry even a shred of rationality. Apart from nervous exhaustion, there are no consequences. They can spin in their heads for hours, i.e. they are as long-lasting as chewing gum. Oddly enough, this phenomenon affects both adults, children and teenagers equally.
For example, an unpleasant situation happened to you in a store or public transport, you were rude. It has already passed, but you suddenly begin to replay this situation in your thoughts. You imagine what might have happened if they had answered this way or that way. Or maybe you should have ignored this moment altogether and remained silent, then the outcome would have been completely different? Or maybe, on the contrary, you had to enter into conflict and defend your opinion to the end? What's better? What is the right way out of this situation?
The thing is that there is no “right” way. All that you can achieve by thinking about some situation, thing or person is simply nervous tension, fatigue and exhaustion. This is a real “mental chewing gum” that does not leave our heads at our request. She persistently returns and returns again. How to live with this? How to get rid of it? How to minimize negative emotions from this phenomenon?
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How to get rid of it?
All conscious efforts aimed at getting rid of obsessive thoughts are, one way or another, doomed to failure. No one has yet come up with a treatment that could permanently rid a person of this. But we can stop thinking about anything at least for a while. Let's take a look at the methods on how to do this.
- Try to keep yourself busy with something all the time. It's no secret that the thoughts of a busy person are focused exclusively on work, be it physical or mental labor. He thinks about how to do it, what to do, what can be improved, etc. Therefore, being busy is a good protector against “mental chewing gum.”
- Look for the positives. Whenever an obsessive thought pops into your head, find the positive aspect of it. Think about whether you can get at least some benefit from this thing or situation you are thinking about now. And when you define it, immediately cling to it and turn the train of thought in another direction that is more acceptable to you. Then it will gradually turn into a more pleasant one, and will naturally fade into the background.
- Try to be indifferent. If you can’t drive away or turn your thoughts in a different direction, try not to notice them. Naturally, the effect will not be as fast as in the first two points, but over time these thoughts will begin to visit you less and less often.
- Relaxation and meditation. Physical and mental relaxation and yoga help you tune in to the right wave. The head is occupied with peace and relaxation, so there can be no talk of any worries. Each of us has our own, most optimal method of relaxation. Analyze what calms you the most. This can be an excellent method of protection.
- Hobby. Each of us is a genius in some way. Someone is a master at cycling or roller skating. Someone sings or draws well. Someone is a born artist or sculptor. Surely you also have an activity that is dear to your heart, which is an excellent defense against “mental chewing gum.” As soon as you realize that your thoughts are not going where you would like, get down to business.
- Tell loved ones or friends about your worries. Very often, after we talk about it and hear the opinions of people who are authoritative for us, worries disappear on their own, everything does not seem so gloomy and hopeless. We roughly determine for ourselves options for getting out of difficult or frightening situations. Speak up and you will feel better.
Negative consequences of rumination
What's wrong with a repetitive thought? It prevents us from fully resting and generating productive thoughts. Usually, appearing before bedtime, it provokes an endless internal monologue, dialogue, argument with an imaginary interlocutor. We diligently prove to him, threaten, sort things out with him. Then the argument may subside, but we still continue to get stuck in repetitive thoughts and cannot free ourselves from them. We begin to think about how we could have done it differently, and what if I had done it this way instead of this way. What if I feel bad, what if there’s something wrong with me? When will all this end?
The state of anxiety accelerates. Someone jumps up, someone spins from side to side, someone may even involuntarily shout or whisper something, someone begins to breathe more often. You will not be able to fall asleep under the power of rumination.
Mental chewing gum can cover you even in the morning. So we open our eyes at 4 in the morning and first some insignificant thought arises, then through a chain of associations we again reach some disturbing situation, begin to exaggerate it and again fall into mental bubblegum. We wake up in the morning broken. A day with its stress and overload tires the nervous system even more. Unclosed questions are pressing, asking for a way out, but they are only given the chewing gum of thoughts. A vicious circle is created.
Resentment
People who are sensitive to everything and lack self-confidence usually get stuck in mental gum. Those who are afraid to enter into conflict due to their inability to stand up for themselves, express or defend their position. They are also afraid of offending or putting another person in an awkward position. But in these cases, the only ones who lose are themselves, endlessly replaying the situation in their heads or continuing to internally hate the offender.
Moreover, a threat or an apparent negative attitude towards them is not always such in reality. Sometimes it happens that the offense actually took place, but the one who inflicted it may not even understand it, did not do it intentionally, or, as he considered, made amends for his guilt with further good deeds.
But in the head of an upset person, that incident, those sensations continue to pulsate - this can last for years and even a lifetime. Such a person no longer notices the good done for him today; he always remains in his old resentment. And now the good deeds of the “offender” have long outweighed the bad one, but no - only that one is in memory. It’s like noticing only one burnt-out light bulb on a bright garland, focusing all your attention on it and not noticing the bright, burning lights.
In this case, the offended person is no better than the one who once offended him.
Where else lies the danger of such one-sided focusing - in the accumulation of aggression. Because no matter how you restrain it, the time will come for overflow and explosion. And usually this happens, again, not in the most attractive way. It seems that some little thing will happen - they will lightly step on your foot or make an insignificant remark, and it’s as if the devil breaks out of the person.
Then he will again lament to himself why he did this, and why he lost it so much, that they will think about him again, he should have somehow behaved more restrainedly, and in the end, why he is such a loser.
Over time, it becomes more difficult to communicate with such a person - emotional imbalance, inappropriate attacks, the same grievances can leave him completely alone.
Emotional stress
Rumination is also triggered when some emotional situation arises. This is how mental chewing begins when someone really pissed us off, but we remained silent or did not defend ourselves enough, we were overcome by a feeling of the injustice of what was happening.
And so, for example, again, most often before going to bed, we mentally go through the situation, voice out claims, prove how wrong our opponent was and how he dared to do this to us. This could be someone from work, our relative, or another person with whom we interact socially.
It seems we almost defeated him, but why is there no satisfaction in this? Because imagine, that person has been sleeping peacefully for a long time, not suspecting anything, and for some reason you are transferring a lot of your energy to him. Place a hose with a pump in your energy channel and pump. You are getting worse, he is getting better.
In the morning you wake up feeling as if you were actually fighting with someone all night. Sometimes even at first you don’t understand whether you are really in a quarrel with the person or not. You suddenly remember what you were thinking about before going to bed and, with some bewilderment, imagine what if you actually dumped it all on your interlocutor. He would probably think you were crazy. You begin to reproach yourself and the mental chewing continues ad infinitum.
Commitment
Rumination also occurs if you have made some kind of obligation or it was imposed on you, and you do not want or do not know how to fulfill it.
And instead of finding some kind of solution and either doing what you promised or refusing, you start thinking mentally about what a burden this obligation is for you. And why did you take it and how good it would be if you didn’t take it. Here - what if I can’t cope and I have endless thoughts about how to avoid this.
Because of this, difficulties in relationships may also arise, and a pessimistic attitude towards life will appear. The circle will begin to close again.
These are the negative consequences that rumination brings with it. The person seems to be thinking about the problem. But this is just an illusion. In fact, the problem is not being solved. In this way, rumination differs significantly from thoughts that lead to conclusions, to a specific decision. Mental chewing gum only takes away from this; a person hides behind it when he does not want or cannot, for various reasons, solve or close the problem that has arisen.
If the situation cannot be resolved, long-term depressive states may arise, falling into the position of a victim, passivity, with the thought that I am unable to influence the situation, nothing depends on me. But this is always false.
Yes, a person cannot control what other people do or think. But he can control it within himself. And chasing away thoughts about other people’s reactions over and over again makes no sense at all. Moreover, rumination is harmful. All the same, until the thought that torments us is completed, it will not recede.
Gymnastics of the mind
Even in the mouth, it not only protects against caries, but also destroys what was created there by dentists - fillings, crowns, bridges (see infographic).
But recently, chewing gum has been found to have several beneficial effects. It turns out that it helps to recover faster after colon surgery. This is explained by the activation of hormones of the digestive system. But the most interesting thing is that chewing gum is a good remedy for stress. It helps you calm down and improves concentration and even memory. “This was recently proven by English scientists from Northumbria University,” says psychoanalyst Alexander Genschel . “But this is not news for Freud’s followers. Chewing gum plays the role of a “simulator”, allowing many to relive the most blissful moments of their lives, when they were still fed on their mother’s milk. People tune out worries and therefore learn better. But chewing gum is unlikely to make everyone an excellent student. This effect works better with an infantile type of psyche.
