Why Do I Have Racing Thoughts? 8 Ways To Deal With Them
Why can we experience racing thoughts? What could be its main causes? Find out what these types of thoughts can indicate and how to deal with them.
When they have thoughts too fast, can affect people, making it difficult to relax, sleep, sport, relationships with other people, etc. In fact, in some cases, people may believe that this is their normal way of thinking, when in reality they are overthinking everything that happens to them and this may indicate that they are facing a mental health problem. So, what can you do about these types of thoughts?
The tachypsychia, or accelerated thinking, is a pattern of thoughts that happen quickly, often repetitively, and can be very overwhelming. These types of thoughts can focus on a single topic or represent different very different lines of thought. The main themes of this type of thinking are financial problems, an embarrassing moment or a phobia. When experiencing these types of thoughts, people may end up feeling greater anxiety or feelings of restlessness, which translates into less concentration on their daily tasks.
Main symptoms of racing thoughts
When a person experiences racing thoughts you may feel the following symptoms:
The mind goes a mile an hour.
You are not able to slow down your thoughts.
You cannot ‘turn off’ your mind, which prevents you from fully relaxing.
Difficulty concentrating on something else.
You keep thinking about a problem constantly.
You start catastrophizing or thinking about worst-case scenarios.
In addition to all these symptoms, the racing thoughts or tachypsychia They can also influence our quality of sleep, and even lead to insomnia.
Main causes of racing thoughts
Although there is no single cause for suffering from racing thoughts the reality is that this symptom can be a sign of the following disorders:
Anxiety
Depression
chronic stress
Drugs abuse
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
These are some of the main causes why you can suffer from racing thoughts which is why if you feel these symptoms it is important that you go to a mental health professional.
How to deal with racing thoughts?
There are different ways to control racing thoughts and reduce its frequency in our mind:
Focus on the present: For the vast majority of people, the racing thoughts They usually come from worries that may never happen. Others may focus on things that happened in the past and therefore cannot change. If your racing thoughts are related to the future or the past, it is important to try to focus on what is happening in the here and now. That is, we must focus on what we can control.
Use your breath: One of the responses to the racing thoughts It is the most accelerated and shallow breathing. So, to calm tachypsychia it may be a good option to try to slow down our breathing, trying to breathe deeper and deeper.
Think of distractions: Instead of focusing on the thought content you are experiencing, try counteracting it with some activity or task that is productive or satisfying for you.
Use positive affirmations: Positive affirmations are simple words or phrases that a person can repeat to themselves to clear their mind. For example, you can try to counteract negative thoughts with more rational words or actions.
Perform exercise: Regular physical activity can help improve our mental well-being and is very useful when we have racing thoughts. Therefore, if you start to experience racing thoughts, walking, jogging, or similar activities can help calm your mind.
Write your thoughts: Writing down your feelings and thoughts can be very effective for those who experience anxiety. The reason is that by writing it down you will be able to realize what makes sense and what doesn’t about your racing thoughts, which could reduce the anxiety you feel about them.
Speak it: If there is a concern that usually ends up being the protagonist of your racing thoughts, it is important that you comment on it. By talking about it with people around you in whom you trust, you will be able to have a better perspective of them and you will be able to feel better about it.
Go to therapy: As noted, when people struggle with thought patterns that are difficult to regulate, they may be dealing with a mental health disorder. Therefore, it is advisable to go to a professional psychologist if you are suffering from racing thoughts.
These are some of the ways you could cope with racing thoughts that are limiting you. Even so, you should keep in mind that this type of behavior can indicate a psychological disorder, so it should be treated.
