The Woodpecker and Rumination

I was working with a client a few months ago, and we had such a synchronicity moment that she said I could share it with you.

Jasmine* was recently moved into a position where she is now the senior person in charge of training others. It’s exciting, but as with any change at work, it comes with worries about inadequacy and being judged. Am I really ready for this?

In a recent training session, everything went fine, but she was stuck on one moment of brain fog she had where she got flustered and couldn’t remember something.

You know the feeling. Everything goes well. People give you great feedback. But one tiny thing goes wrong, and you can’t stop thinking about it.

Yep. Rumination.

Jasmine couldn’t figure out how to stop being stuck on this tiny slip up in an otherwise beautiful training session.

So we pulled a card. She likes the animal cards the best (like a spirit animal to give her advice). She took a deep breath. Settled in her body. Imagined the scenario. And when she got to the slip up in her mind, we pulled a card.

It was a woodpecker.

Now here’s the part where it gets wonderful and magical…

People often ruminate because they think it will give them insight in the situation, but it actually keeps you stuck in a thought loop.

 

The cards come with sayings, but the woodpecker’s assigned message didn’t resonate with her. That actually happens often, which is why I don’t tend to rely on the prepackaged meanings of cards. I find it more helpful to interpret intuitively in the moment.

I asked Jasmine, “Does the woodpecker remind you of anything?”

She laughed, “Yes, but it’s so silly.”

Things clients think are silly are often the exact answer they need, so I knew we were about to see something cool…

 

Connecting the woodpecker with rumination

 

On a recent camping trip, she and her family had seen a woodpecker fruitlessly banging its poor little head against a metal pole instead of a tree. It was expending so much energy, yet getting nowhere.

See the connection with rumination?

Since then, when Jasmine starts to ruminate, she thinks of the woodpecker, laughs, and changes direction.

 

How to stop rumination

Are you banging your head against a metal pole, dwelling on the one mistake in an otherwise good moment? Maybe it’s time to move over to the “tree”. Spend your energy in a way that’s helpful. We can do this in many ways:

• Get grounded. You can do a meditation. Take a walk. Or try some of the tips I list on this post about worry and overthinking.
• Reimagine. ( Side note: You’ll want a trusted friend or coach with you for this one). Sometimes it helps to go back into the memory like you’re watching a movie. Pause it, and look at the scenery around you, not the main “characters” in the movie. In other words, forget looking at the people involved and look at the color of the walls or a cup on the shelf behind you. This technique helps you soften the emotions around the event, and that eases the urge to ruminate on it.
• Take a creative break. View the situation from the viewpoint of your favorite movie or book character. Do some artwork to represent it. Draw the situation like a comic book. Tapping into your creative mind helps you give your thinking brain a chance to reset.
• Get out in nature. Studies have shown that when we reconnect with the natural world, we begin to settle into its rhythms and rumination eases.

*name changed for client confidentiality