My mind is constantly racing.

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Hi IcarusUnderWater. One way I have found to stay focused on the present is through Appreciation of what I currently have in my life. Here are 10 action steps you can take at any moment to bring yourself back to the present moment:

1. Be grateful for what you have
2. Communicate with what you have
3. Use what you have
4. Take care of what you have
5. Love what you have
6. Judge with understanding what you have
7. Enjoy what you have
8. Admire what you have
9. Increase the value of what you have
10. Share what you have

Get a notepad and start making a list of all the things you currently have in your life that you are ignoring while obsessing about the future. Often, a shift of focus is very helpful in diminishing our fears.

You will be a lousy anyone else but you are the best you that there is. Celebrate, honor and cherish yourself. Love that little child within you. You have to first love yourself before you can love and accept others.

Finally, don't forget that others are struggling with their issues too (fears, insecurities, etc.)...regardless of how they seem on the outside. We are all very much alike as people. Some are just good at putting on a public face. Good Luck to you and start falling in love with yourself...first and foremost.

I can relate to you. I also have endless racing thoughts and it really ruins my life because these racing thoughts are with me all the time except from when i sleep, only then i can escape them and then i wake up with the same racing thoughts again. It really ruins everything, i can't concentrate on work o'r even when i am watching a dvd o'r something.

You should try meditation...I can send you a program if anyone wants pm me (you don't need it to meditate but it's good for starting off)

I think there may be 2 main issues here:

1) Mental: Worrying about your future (& frustrated that this ideal future is not happening in present, & maybe worrying that this future might never "catch up" with the present life you have & the direction your present life is taking you)

2) Physical (chemical): Hyperactive mind
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Solutions:

1) Mental: This i think is a tremendously complex issue, but i think chris420 & binn hit the nail on the head - you need to FOCUS your mind's thoughts, either through meditation, focussing mind on positives, or whatever works for you
So, some options (= gives your mind a temporary BREAK/ESCAPE)

Mental
- meditation
- appreciation (of your positives)
- beliefs:
- Tell yourself 'don't sweat the small stuff' (& try to convince yourself that this is true)
- ...

Sensory (usu easier)
- have a LONG shower or bath (1 or 2 hours)
- eat a packet/so of really crunchy crackers/crisps
- do some simple/easy & repetitive (eg sort/rename files on your computer)

-> The main thing is to put your mind on simplicity (for a "session" of)
-> Sensory = (relatively) quick-fix, but temporary CURES
-> For longer-term (more permanent) cures, see #2

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2) Physical (chemical): Your chemical environment defintely can make the mind/thoughts a LOT more troublesome than it needs to be (& therefore feelings also)

- Think about all the toxins/chemicals in your environs
- food (additives, allergies, intolerances, caffeine (coffee/chocolate), sugar, fatty/dairy,...)
- house (mold, bedding (dust mites), rotten odours, chemical cleaning products, soap/shampoo, deoderant, perfume,...)
- CO2 (keep house/.. well-ventilated)

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As to what i think you "have" (diagnosis)..
- Hyperactive mind
- Worrier (maybe)
- Lifestyle might be too "busy" (might need to reduce the amount of activities you partake in, so as to reduce the quantity/clutter/intrusion/worrying of thoughts)
- Toxins that reacting to (& maybe allergies)

Hope this helps!

Icarus, I used to feel like that every day. In fact, even when I was a little girl, my mum and dad tell me I was always asking "what are we doing next?" instead of focussing on what we were doing at the time. As an adult, it took me years to work out what I wanted from life. I've only just started university at age 24!

Maybe you're just in a phase where you aren't sure what you want, but you know you want something! This is a good thing! It means you have hope!

Start small. What do you love? When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Do you still think you'd like to do that?

I think once you take a small step, it will help to lead you to what you really want in life. It will also help you to meet and talk to people (and like you, I used to hate people), and when you do that, you will meet people who reaffirm your faith in humanity.

I'm not saying the first thing you try will be the best thing. I think I did about 5 things until I worked out what I wanted. But what you've got to do is to narrow the options - start with one thing, which might not be the right thing, but an aspect of it might lead you to something else, which may also not be the right thing, but again, it'll lead you to something that might!

It's scary - the first step always is. My boss gave me this excellent saying which has become my mantra on hard days. It is "Just Do Today" - on your bad days, forget the long term. Just get through today. Just get through the next 10 minutes. Don't even think about the *next* 10 minutes.

It's great that you are asking for advice - another really good sign that you know something is wrong, and want to fix it. I know you can do it!

My mind also races continually. I feel asthough I have at least fifty thoughts on the go at any one time. Sometimes I even feel I have two dreams at the same time when I sleep. I can also hear my thoughts, which is very unnerving, sometimes I answer questions no one has asked out loud. I think someone has asked for the time, so I will say "It's 2.30, who asked", and it will have been me asking. Or I will say "Yeah, I am hungrey", and whoever I am with looks alittle confused.

The only way I can get this to stop is exercise. I cannot swim, concentrating on my body moving and think of more than one thing at a time.

Peace xxx