Are you a Human Ruminant?

Ruminants (cows, goats, sheep and deer) are herbivores and struggle for protein extraction from their diet. Once food is chewed, it is returned to the mouth to break down before being digested by further chewing. This process helps them to extract protein from their diet.

In human, rumination is routinely grinding over your mistakes, regrets, and negative experiences. This process is of little help since there is little protein to extract from well-chewed morsels of self-denial that you keep coming up with. What you’re doing is berating yourself, engaging in self-talk that may border on abuse.

It’s counter-productive because it makes you feel worse and hinders your ability to solve your problems. This is bad for your physical health and mental health, and there is a relationship between chronic rumination and chronic depression.

Don’t get caught up in this negative habit, admit that you’ve made a mistake in the past, as we all do, and move on. Rumination is for goats.