Do you have racing thoughts?

[Lamb]

This has been happening to me the past couple of months. Random speed races I call them. I'm not thinking anything inparticular at the time, nor is it a negative thought playing over and over. Usually it happens when I'm in the shower. It's happening right now. It feels almost like being hyper (or the effects of a fever where things are distorted) except I don't actually gain more energy as a result of this feeling.

I want to bury my head under a pillow, and usually have to stop whatever it is I'm doing. Aside from being distracting, it doesn't cause too much distress. But I am puzzled as to why this is occurring. Do you experience this? :question:

 

[this_portrait]

All the time. They go their fastest when I have to approach random strangers for the news stories I write. When they go at their normal pace, I like to think of it as daydreaming or as a creative process.

 

[Lamb]

All the time. They go their fastest when I have to approach random strangers for the news stories I write. When they go at their normal pace, I like to think of it as daydreaming or as a creative process.

How does it make you feel? Are you still able to talk to these people while it's happening?

 

[this_portrait]

How does it make you feel? Are you still able to talk to these people while it's happening?

I'd love it if I could be calmer when talking to people. I can still talk, but I can have difficulty writing down their responses quick enough and sometimes it'll put me in a rush and make me end up not getting as much info out of them as I can. In those instances, I hate that my mind is going at 100 miles per second.

 

[Lamb]

I'd love it if I could be calmer when talking to people. I can still talk, but I can have difficulty writing down their responses quick enough and sometimes it'll put me in a rush and make me end up not getting as much info out of them as I can. In those instances, I hate that my mind is going at 100 miles per second.

Would you say it's a result of anxiety for you, than?

 

[ukmale]

welcome to my world ... sometimes I'm walking back and thought mind racing seems like its never going to stop its hard to sleep you can't sit and do anything for longer than a few mins your mind races talking about anything small little something as silly as a silly comment I got ... I was on meds once that made me so bad I was up day and night writing on the windows will never take meds again .. some days my mind can't even think about anything the next non time playing things over and over I hate when it plays over and over a day I had in like 2005 what happened what I should have done said or even a phone call can make me play it over and over hard to sleep some nights when your mind will not shut off just for a min or two but others days its like my mind can't even there I'm slow at thinking remembering ect

Ukmale

 

[MikeyC]

Yes, I experience this, too. Usually my racing thoughts are quite detrimental to my mood, and I can think about things that are usually quite terrible: death, cancer, hatred, and so on.

Lamb, I'm not sure how you can control such a thing, because I'm still trying, too! Perhaps meditation will help if you're willing to give that a go.

 

[ImNotMyIllness]

My experience is a little different. I get racing thoughts of inspiration. Sometimes, brilliant quotes will pop up in my head and I'll furiously write them down as they come but I rarely keep up. It's like I'm plug into something that's downloading information. I love it! It always has to do with something philosophical or creative.

Haven't had that in a while.

 

[ImNotMyIllness]

.......I'm too stressed out to have them now........Once things turn around, my inspiration and energy will come back.

 

[jaim38]

I experience this too. My mind naturally wanders a lot, unless I'm doing meditation or yoga. My mind can also race when something bad happens and I'm shocked. For example just yesterday I was downloading something for 2.5 hours but I accidentally pressed a key on the keyboard which caused the installer to disappear! Yikes, I don't have 2.5 more hours to spare. At that moment, it felt like hundreds of things sped through my mind.

 

[Lamb]

Yes, I experience this, too. Usually my racing thoughts are quite detrimental to my mood, and I can think about things that are usually quite terrible: death, cancer, hatred, and so on.

Lamb, I'm not sure how you can control such a thing, because I'm still trying, too! Perhaps meditation will help if you're willing to give that a go.

I find it interesting that people always recommend meditation. I've tried it before but have failed at it. Maybe it's because I don't have a space to call my own. It's frustrating, seems like there's always one more thing I need to do to make myself overcome an issue. Someone recommended reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

My experience is a little different. I get racing thoughts of inspiration. Sometimes, brilliant quotes will pop up in my head and I'll furiously write them down as they come but I rarely keep up. It's like I'm plug into something that's downloading information. I love it! It always has to do with something philosophical or creative.

Haven't had that in a while.

That sounds great. If it were actual mania I might be a little more grateful.

I experience this too. My mind naturally wanders a lot, unless I'm doing meditation or yoga. My mind can also race when something bad happens and I'm shocked. For example just yesterday I was downloading something for 2.5 hours but I accidentally pressed a key on the keyboard which caused the installer to disappear! Yikes, I don't have 2.5 more hours to spare. At that moment, it felt like hundreds of things sped through my mind.

I hate when things like that happen!

 

[miserablecow]

I experience them too...hard to cope with sometimes. Its similar to what Iannotmyillness is say and at the same time very negative.

Some would say different about you saying if it were mania.

 

[hoddesdon]

I expect many British people wonder who will win at Ascot, Americans wonder who will win the Grand National, and Australians wonder who will win the Melbourne Cup.

 

[sullyS25]

all the time. a bok that really helped me with this that i would recommend to anyone is called "The Power of Now". Sometimes it is overwhelming for sure though...the racing thoughts that is.

 

[SoScared]

Hi Besty,
Wow, I was having one of my racing thoughts sessions just before I read your post.
The e-mail I was expecting was not in my inbox when I checked first thing this morning and that set me off thinking vey very negatively and actually getting quite angry. The focus/target of my anger drifted from the person who had not sent the mail to somebody totally separate. This behaviour is quite frequent. I just get angry and grind away imaging the worse and imaging situations that simply will not occur. This continued for about ½ hour, stopped whilst I read your thread then I went back to it for another pointless mood changing energy sapping session.

I also exhibit similar behaviour and thought patterns when I frequently recall events from the past and turn them over in my mind time and time again. Vipassana meditation (bringing your awareness back) as I was strolling along the got me out of todays session

 

[Kiwong]

Yes, when my anxiety is bad, my mind has a million thoughts a minute, too fast to catch them all. It is when I am at my most creative, and also my most destructive. I try to write the useful thoughts down.

 

[lilmutegirl]

Yes, I have this too. Often, I feel overwhelmed, and am thinking about several different things at once, without being able to focus on any of them. It's very frustrating. When that happens, I try to clear my mind or focus on just one thing, but it's difficult because I get distracted by my other toughts.

 

[Lamb]

all the time. a bok that really helped me with this that i would recommend to anyone is called "The Power of Now". Sometimes it is overwhelming for sure though...the racing thoughts that is.

The Power of Now it is than.

Hi Besty,
Wow, I was having one of my racing thoughts sessions just before I read your post.
The e-mail I was expecting was not in my inbox when I checked first thing this morning and that set me off thinking vey very negatively and actually getting quite angry. The focus/target of my anger drifted from the person who had not sent the mail to somebody totally separate. This behaviour is quite frequent. I just get angry and grind away imaging the worse and imaging situations that simply will not occur. This continued for about ½ hour, stopped whilst I read your thread then I went back to it for another pointless mood changing energy sapping session.

I also exhibit similar behaviour and thought patterns when I frequently recall events from the past and turn them over in my mind time and time again. Vipassana meditation (bringing your awareness back) as I was strolling along the got me out of todays session

Lol, hi besty. I experience those feelings as well. I'll research the meditation thanks.

 

[WishingICould]

Yeah, all the time. It seems to be worse when i'm alone.

P.S. Is that you in your profile picture Lamb?

 

[coyote]

I expect many British people wonder who will win at Ascot, Americans wonder who will win the Grand National, and Australians wonder who will win the Melbourne Cup.

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