Stop the Spin-Out! Stay Present with Mental Fitness

My client said, “Sometimes a worry gets stuck in my mind and then I start to spin out.”

Spinning out.

Stuck in a loop.

In a tizzy.

Sound familiar?

There are a lot of ways to describe that feeling of being stuck in a mental loop, replaying past mistakes or worrying about future problems.

It’s rumination—that exhausting cycle of repetitive thoughts that drains your energy and happiness. And, rumination is often at the root of burnout for women nonprofit leaders.

The thing about rumination that you may not realize is that it only happens when you’ve mentally left the present.

Whether you’re judging yourself for past actions or anxiously worrying about what might go wrong tomorrow, rumination pulls you away from the here and now.

The Past-Future Trick

Rumination is sneaky and a favourite trick of the inner Judge saboteur. You think that you’re problem-solving when really, you’re just spinning your wheels.

That spinning out feeling emerges when you judge yourself harshly for things you can’t change (“I should have prepared more for that meeting”) or when you anticipate bad things that haven’t happened yet (“What if my presentation bombs tomorrow?”).

Neither scenario exists now and you lose peace of mind (and often sleep!) worrying about the past and the future.

How Women Nonprofit Leaders Self-Sabotage

Rumination is a form of self-sabotage experienced by many women nonprofit leaders, where you move from a valid concern, like needing to prepare well for a presentation, to getting stuck in negative thoughts that undermine your well-being and productivity.

Your inner resources—attention, energy, creativity—are misdirected to repetitive thoughts, leaving you exhausted and discouraged for what matters in the present. In the extreme, rumination can lead to burnout.

Break the Cycle with Mental Fitness Practices

Fortunately, with simple Mental Fitness practices, you can train your mind to break free from rumination.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Recognize Your Inner Saboteurs

Bring awareness to when your thoughts have shifted from productive thinking to “spinning out.” That’s your inner judge finding fault (“I always mess things up” or “I’ll never get this right”).

Notice if you have tense shoulders, shallow breathing, a knot in your stomach or another physical symptom that accompanies the mental feeling. When you catch these messages, don’t judge yourself for having them—just notice what’s happening.

Step 2: Return to the Present

Once you’ve recognized rumination, guide your attention back to the present. Try rubbing two fingers together, counting your breaths, feeling your body in contact with your chair or bed.

These simple practices interrupt the cycle of thoughts and anchors you through your senses with the present.

Step 3: Respond with Compassion

The final step is crucial: how you treat yourself when you catch rumination determines whether you’ll build mental fitness or fall back into the cycle of negative thinking. Speak to yourself as you would a dear friend or family member with compassion and empathy.

Celebrate when you catch yourself in rumination to connect the interruption with pleasure. You’ll build new neural pathways that, over time, reduce rumination and help you stay focused in the present.

Choose Presence

It’s totally natural for your thoughts to move between past, present, and future. But when those thoughts become stuck in a loop that reduces your well-being, that’s unhelpful rumination. By practicing the Mental Fitness techniques above, you’re not just reducing rumination—you’re building capacity for leading and living fully in the present.