Six Ways to Stop Dwelling on It

By Naomi Barr

A Beliefnet feature from O, The Oprah Magazine

Ruminating regularly often leads to depression. So if you have trouble letting things go or find yourself tossing and turning at all hours of the night because you can't stop stressing, then try these six ways to save yourself today!

It's 5 p.m., the deadline for an important work project is at 6, and all you can think about is the fight you had with the next-door neighbor this morning. You're dwelling, says Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, PhD, a professor of psychology at Yale and author of Women Who Think Too Much. "It's natural to look inward," she says, "but while most people pull out when they've done it enough, an overthinker will stay in the loop."

Ruminating regularly often leads to depression. So if you're prone to obsessing (and you know who you are), try these tactics to head off the next full-tilt mental spin cycle...