3 Tips for Dealing with Racing Thoughts

My thoughts are going a million miles a minute.

I’m mentally and physically exhausted, but when I lay down to go to sleep, my mind won’t quiet down. 

I just want it to stop. 

Being human is exhausting sometimes. We like to think it’s possible to completely organize our schedules, remember what we need from the store, stay on top of current events in the news, feed our pets, feed ourselves, do the laundry, take our vitamins, and find time for meaningful connection with our loved ones. Everything feels so important, no wonder our thoughts race from the time we wake up until we lay down to go to sleep..if we manage to get any sleep. So how do we stop our busy minds or at least slow them down?

1. Look at your consumption – If we think of all the information we consume in a day (social media, news, work, lists, videos, images) like food, how much are you eating? What are you eating? Is it giving you the energy you need to accomplish the things that are important to you or is it slowing you down? Instead of scrolling on your phone, pause and ask yourself “How is this making me feel? Do I want to keep looking at this? How is it improving my day? My life?”

2. Give your brain a break – The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, pause. Close your eyes and breathe in slowly through your nose, hold for a second, and exhale through your nose. Experiment with placing your hands over your eyes, heart, or on top of your head when you do this – gentle touch can enhance your sense of calm. Repeat as often as necessary.

3. Practice the ABC’s of gratitude – Sometimes, our minds feel like runaway trains and we just can’t slow them down. When this is the case, try this exercise: for each letter of the alphabet, think of something you're grateful for (A – apple pie, B – blue skies, C – cute cats, etc.). If you’re feeling skeptical, remember that racing thoughts are often about things that we’re afraid of or upset about – replacing them with things we appreciate may help to steer our thoughts in a different direction and may even help calm us down as we remember all the things we’re grateful for.  

Finally, it’s important to remember that we don’t need to have all the answers – nobody does. We don’t need to remember everything or please everyone. It’s not possible and it won’t make our lives any better. We may find that when we develop more acceptance for our human limitations, our thoughts won’t race as much because there’s no imaginary prize we’re trying to win for remembering everything or figuring everything out. We can give ourselves permission to slow down and stop running the race altogether. As always, if you’d like more support, please reach out. 

Warmly, 

Ileana Arganda-Stevens, LMFT #129032

she/her

Therapist, Program Manager, Supervisor