A common side effect of an anxious or stressful time in your life is the experience of racing thoughts. While these characteristics are typical of people who suffer from one of the common forms of anxiety disorders, they can also simply signify a heightened time of stress in a person’s life.
Having a racing mind can cause a lot of unwanted side effects. A racing mind is hard to settle, and it can keep you up at night. This can also cause you to be distracted during the day which can be an issue for the working individual.
There are some strategies that can be effective for calming a restless mind. These strategies are rumored to help people reduce stress and anxiety that comes with a racing mind.
Reframe Your Mind
A lot of our worries stem from ideas that our brain begins to focus on that are simply not realistic. However, these concerns feel very real because our brain is used to computing all potential aspects of a situation. Forcing yourself to focus on the possibilities for different situations is good, but this practice only works if you force your brain to focus on the positive over the negative.
For example, if you have rarely ever flown on an airplane and find yourself in a situation where you must travel by air, there are several potential outcomes. Something may go wrong with your travel causing you to be stuck in a city for longer than planned.
In rare instances, plane travel does go wrong. However, more often than not traveling by plane is perfectly safe and timely. Allow your brain to recognize and prepare for all of these situations, it will allow you to relax and adopt a come what may attitude.
Meditate
Meditation is a great way to train your brain to block out all of that negative energy that comes along with a racing mind frame. While meditation may seem like an overwhelming concept, it can actually be quite simple. As simple as finding a comfortable, quiet space to concentrate on quietness and stillness.
As an alternative, many people have begun a less formal practice of meditation known as mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your thoughts on one positive concept or one mantra that you adopt. Mindfulness can be practiced within the routine of your normal day (like on your morning drive) and there are apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone to make it easier to learn how to practice it.
Let Go of Regret
Letting go of the past might seem like a concept that is easier said than done. However, the past can be a huge cause for anxiety and stress in many individuals who experience racing thoughts. Focusing on the present forces your brain to only concentrate on events that can actually be influenced.
The truth of the matter is that the past cannot be changed. No matter how long your brain worries about events of the past, they are never going to be changed. Focusing instead on your present allows you to only think about the events that might be able to be changed.
Final Thoughts
Finding inner peace is not going to come to anyone who is not willing to put in the work to influence the way their brain is working. Learning to control the racing thoughts in your mind might seem overwhelming at first, but the difference it can make in your life is worth all of the hard work.
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