How do you deal with racing thoughts?!
Question: I really want to go to bed so I can get up in the morning but I can't seem to quit thinking about everything. I sould of set up my appointment with my dr. a few days ago when I felt this coming on but I waited til today and tonight it seems to be getting worse. I'm constantly worrying about things my past keeps coming back to me and I feel like I have to do something right now. is there anyway to deal with this other than medication since I can't get any until next week? Also if you are bipolar do you ever feel mania coming on or does it just happen?
Answers: I really want to go to bed so I can get up in the morning but I can't seem to quit thinking about everything. I sould of set up my appointment with my dr. a few days ago when I felt this coming on but I waited til today and tonight it seems to be getting worse. I'm constantly worrying about things my past keeps coming back to me and I feel like I have to do something right now. is there anyway to deal with this other than medication since I can't get any until next week? Also if you are bipolar do you ever feel mania coming on or does it just happen?
I don't get manic often and when I do it's pretty mild, but I can feel it coming. When my mind starts racing I write a lot, trying to get all the thoughts out of my head and onto the paper. It doesn't always work, but it's the best suggestion I have.
Keep a journal or small note pad next to your bed. Reflect on your day before you go to sleep...just jot down your thoughts or anything you'd like and include at least one thing you are thankful for. Keep it handy to write down anything that comes to your mind when you are trying to fall asleep. Then when you wake up you will have your list of reminders for the next day. Collecting your thoughts and tasks may ease some of the worrying because you will have your notes to keep you on track.
'Research suggests the average person has between 12,000 & 60,000 thoughts per day and of these more than 80% are negative'. If you want to learn more about thoughts & how they influence your feelings & behaviour find out about CBT, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. ACT, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is another good therapy as it teaches about mindfulness. I learnt a lot about thoughts in these therapies. I learnt how to understand & deal with my thoughts & there's a lot of techniques you can learn to feel OK about your thoughts & ways you can slow your thoughts down or change them or distract your thoughts by 'mindfully' thinking & concentrating on something else. You may not be able to control your thoughts but you can control how you respond to them. Thoughts are just that, thoughts, they're not facts-unless you act upon those thoughts. Thoughts are very normal even when they're weird & strange-everyone has thoughts about everything imaginable & everything unimaginable, what is important is how you behave in response to your thoughts. If your thoughts are bothering you too much I suggest you see a therapist who can help you understand that your thoughts about your thoughts are normal, sound confusing? The human brain & how it works is so amazing that it will continue to be a major study interest. Problem is that these days society has developed so fast & the pace of life is so fast with so much added stress, we're bound to think more, it's inevitable. Try to learn some mindfulness techniques & relaxation skills too.
I learnt some very interesting techniques with what to do with unwanted thoughts when I was in therapy learning ACT, Acceptance & Committment Therapy. Make sure you're in a comfortable & quiet place & try to relax yourself a bit first with some deep, slow breathing. Close your eyes & imagine a sky with clouds floating past, when a thought or image or memory comes into your mind picture yourself placing it on the cloud & watch it slowly drift away, try to concentrate on just that one thought for a while & watch it float away. Do this again when another thought comes into your mind. This will slow down your thinking & you'll feel less confused. If you don't want to picture a sky you can imagine leaves gently floating down a stream or make something up. Visualisation whilst listening to relaxing music can help to change your thoughts when you're thinking about stuff you'd rather not. Again make sure you're comfortable & relaxed, close your eyes & listen to the music & let images come to your mind, like beautiful horses galloping down a beach, an eagle in full flight looking down into the forest, use your imagination & make up scenes to the music, think pleasant & beautiful thoughts, try relaxation type music with the sounds of nature for example. It does take practice though, but give it a try, it may work for you! If you need more info just look up ACT therapy or Mindfulness techniques on the net, or even see a therapist if it's getting you down too much. A therapist will help you to develop your confidence & self-esteem & help you with positive thinking, only you can change the way you think about yourself & it's your thoughts that create your feelings in the first place. Also a favourite of mine is to keep a journal & 1/2 hr before I plan to go to bed I just write & write & write, anything that comes into my mind, I get rid of everything on paper. I hope what I have learnt is of some help to you.
Don't mean to sound blunt but sounds like you have problems with anxiety, don't think its mania, believe me if you were manic it would be nothing like what you are describing!!
Best thing you can do is learn relaxation, takes time to master but will help a lot, look into it if you want to feel better. and do some reading on anxiety there is some good books out there.
I take Riserdal .5 ml grams for racing thoughts and it works. About an hour after I take it I am sleeping. I don't lay in bed with my mind flipping channels like I did before. In my daily life I don't tend to jump from one subject to the other as much.
I will say this 1 mil gram made me have the side effects were I could not get the big O in sex and it was had for me to pass stool. So if your doctor puts you on it. Watch for the side effects closely. They will tell you what they are or you can ask your pharmacist.
I know what you mean. I do the same at times.
But what works for me is that I try visual my brain with like hair coming out of it. This is my energy (thoughts) and then I try to visual cool water flowing over the brain and laying down the hairs(thoughts) until they are all down. then I find that I am at peace and my mind is restful.
Maybe this will work for you too.