The word originally describes how grazing animals process food -- a compartmentalized stomach allows them to chew on some grass, breaking it down partially, then regurgitate and chew it again, to help with digestion even further.<p>Mapping this to the domain of psychology, it becomes a thought process where one is going through the same steps over and over and over again; you can pick apart any situation you find yourself in, in excruciating detail. The only thing it doesn&#x27;t lead to is an actionable plan of what you&#x27;re going to do about said situation.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Ruminant" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Ruminant</a>