The Top 5 Ways to Calm a Racing Mind

Sometimes, thoughts keep coming and they don’t stop coming. This can be overwhelming, especially if it gets in your way when you’re trying to concentrate or if it prevents you from sleeping at night. These simple yet effective tips can help you calm your racing mind and slow thoughts down.

Keep reading to find out how to calm a racing mind, how to control and reduce intrusive thoughts, and quick tips you can use anywhere to find inner peace!

What are Racing Thoughts

Sometimes, it may seem like your mind is thinking thousands of thoughts at once, each one passing in and out quickly. It takes it hard to concentrate on one thing and it can be tough to shake off. Sometimes, racing thoughts escalate to the point of interfering with your daily life.

Types

There are different types, each with a different tip to help you slow down the mind and calm down. Your thoughts may be repetitive, in the form of rumination. This means you’re thinking about the same thing over and over again, overanalyzing and hyper-fixating on it. 

Your fast-paced mind may also experience intrusive thoughts, though they are unpleasant and unwelcome. These are the types of thoughts where you barely know how they popped into your head in the first place! 

You may also just be thinking about too many things at once. You’re not done with one situation, then you start thinking of another, then you circle back and think of the first thing even more, and so on. In any case, there are ways to calm a racing mind you can start using today.

5 Ways to Calm a Racing Mind

Here are the top 5 ways to calm the mind and slow down thoughts. This can help stop you from feeling overwhelmed and out of control.

1. Ground Yourself

Ground yourself in the present moment to slow down a racing mind. This can be done by being mindful and using your senses to center yourself. List of 3 things you can see, 3 things you can touch, 3 things you can smell, etc. Another technique would be to name 5 things around you or to touch something and concentrate on the feeling of that object. For anything you do, do it mindfully. One way to ground yourself is five-finger breathing, full guide here!

2. Cognitive Distance

It can be helpful to step back from a situation, no matter what it is. A lot of the time, racing thoughts are due to us trying to think about everything, everywhere. You can take a step back from the situation and focus on what you can control. Distinguish this from what you cannot control. Take time to think about what thoughts are helpful and which are unhelpful. Our minds tend to be negative by default, so try to work through it without being hard on yourself.

3. Mantra

A mantra is a simple word or phrase you repeat in order to calm yourself down. This can help reduce activity in the brain which can in turn reduce racing thoughts. A mantra can be anything you relate to or need to hear. Some individuals choose to focus on a sound, like om or a short phrase like life is good. Simply repeat your phrase over and over again, focusing all your thoughts, energy, and emotions on that phrase. Here is how to do a mantra meditation for even more health benefits!!

4. Write it Out

Journaling can be a great way to sort through your thoughts. As opposed to trying to store everything in your head, writing things out can help you work through thoughts and reduce racing minds. There are many different ways to journal, some of which are found here, but one good way is positive affect journaling. This is where you focus on writing about the positive things in your life and tuff you are grateful for.

5. Breathe

Deep breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, is quite literally life-changing. Deep breaths can help reduce anxiety and stress by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for rest and relaxation. Check out the complete guide to this type of breathing here, but in essence, try to breathe deep into your belly, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale. Rinse and repeat as many times as you need to feel calm. 

Tips to Use Daily

Here are some quick tips you can use to keep your mental wellbeing up in any scenario! A healthy mind comes from healthy habits.

• Use affirmations – using affirmations daily can start changing the way you think about yourself and the world around you.
• Sleep – get a good night’s rest to make sure your body is healthy and happy.
• Morning routine – start a morning routine! A simple one can be life-changing, boosting health, mental wellbeing, and emotional state of mind. Here’s a quick guide.
• Hydrate – even slight dehydration can lead to confusion, lack of concentration, and low energy. Make sure you’re getting enough water daily.
• Romanticize your life – make even the small moment memorable with this guide to romanticizing your life.
• Meditate daily – people who meditate as a habit experience physical changes in the brain leading to more emotional control and high thinking. Make meditation a habit and try it daily!

When to Seek a Professional

If your thoughts and mind seem to be getting in the way of you living your life or feeling helpless, always remember to reach out. Get into contact with friends, family, or the national help hotline in the US (full list here).

Remember that while we can take control of our thoughts and emotions, sometimes we need a little more help to do so. Reach out or seek professional assistance in instances where you feel overwhelmed and in need of help. There is always someone who will reach back.

The Takeaway

A racing mind can be overwhelming and debilitating. It can make it hard to calm down and relax, leaving you stressed, disorientated, and out of control. Luckily, there are many techniques you can try out that can help calm the mind. Try out mantras, journaling, breathing, or any of the other tips to help make your day a little better. Seek out help if you feel it is required, and be kind to yourself and your mind.

Remember that health comes from within, so eat nutritious meals, move your body daily, and care for your mental health. Try to practice good habits to form building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.