Thoughts are an integral part of human life. Thousands and thousands of thoughts comes in our mind, and we can control only a tiny fraction of them. The greater amount of thoughts are related to the subconscious mind, and to control them is the art only some can master.
Thoughts can be positive and negative. As the famous quote is;
“Your thoughts can make or break you.”
But how much this quote is true? Undoubtedly, all the great wonders in the world are the fragments of thoughts that were turned into a plan and action. However, you might ask yourself at some point, “What if I could not control my thoughts?” or “Why my thoughts are so unsettling and disturbingly constant?”
What are Racing Thoughts?
Racing thoughts are repetitive and recurring patterns of disturbing and distressing thoughts. The causes of racing thoughts may vary from person to person and the constant mingling and moving of them in your mind can be overwhelming.
Having Racing Thoughts Means I am Suffering from Bipolar Disorder?
As racing thoughts are commonly described in people suffering from bipolar disorder but there are many other reasons for having racing thoughts. If you worry that your racing thoughts are due to bipolar disorder, and you are a person with manic depression. First, you should stop worrying. That is not the case.
The underlying reasons for having racing thoughts could be anxiety and psychiatric disorders. Sleep deprivation, amphetamines, and hypothyroidism.
Do you bring up old memories and stuff?
We all, at some points in our lives, have been the slaves of our past. We bring up old things and arguments during the good days with our friends and partner and ultimately ruin the relationship.
If you find yourself bringing up the past or constantly thinking about the things that happened in past, then your mind is playing tricks with you. When you are having racing thoughts, your mind brings up episodes of events that had happened in the past, and you find yourself having no control over it.
A person suffering from racing thoughts has no control over his/her mind, and the mind keeps playing the horrifying episodes of the past during the day or mostly during the night and thus ruining your sleep patterns.
A normal person has better control over his/her thoughts. Racing thoughts can be normal if you have control over them but if they take a complete hold of you, that is when you know things are not going right.
How Can You Tell if Your Racing Thoughts Might Be a Mental Illness and Issue?
Thoughts that are too scattered and random come to the minds of all of us. Inability to focus on work, getting panic, and not being able to fall asleep is natural. But if your racing thoughts are unavoidably constant and uncomfortable, then you need to know if it is a mental illness or not.
Dr. Nicole Washtington, psychiatrist and the Chief Medical Officer at Elocin Psychiatric Services said; “Occasional periods of racing thoughts are nothing to be concerned about as they could be related to a reasonable worry. Even a reasonable stressor can lead to moments of feeling like your thoughts are racing.”
According to the experts, the ways to tell if your racings thoughts are a mental illness are;
1. Your attention span is reduced, and you cannot stay focused on things.
2. You indulge in a particular thought for a longer period. When certain thought pop into your head, you start overthinking about it, and spend hours and hours pondering on it and thus wasting your time.
3. The constant thoughts have disturbed your sleeping patterns and you can sleep properly on time. You go to bed, exhausted and wanting to sleep but as you hit the bed, a massive cloud of thoughts covers your mind and your whole being. These could be normal existential crises, but the amount of time you spend thinking about it is huge as compared to a normal person.
4. With each thought, the intensity of them increases and now they are getting worse and out of control. A normal person can control his/her thoughts but if you let your mind wander freely, there comes a time when you could no longer have any control over your thoughts. You might hear people telling you to stop thinking much or saying to you that you think too much. And all you want to tell them is that you no longer have control over your thoughts. Your thoughts have completely imprisoned you.
5. Your thoughts are linked with many emotions and various symptoms are now associated with them such as sleep deprivation, increased energy, and destructive thoughts.
6. You start hearing voices in your head, as your thoughts have now a voice of their own, chattering constantly in your head. There is no much chaos and hubbub in your mind that you are unable to make sense of things. The outside world feels nothing as compared to the chaotic world you have created in your head.
7. The coping mechanisms to reduce and control the thoughts are not working for you and now you are using more dangerous coping mechanisms and completely gone on avoiding your thoughts. You all need to cope with things and find mechanisms that suit us best. As the normal mechanisms have stopped working for you, so are finding ways of distraction; by consuming drugs and alcohol
Ways to Stop Racing Thoughts
You cannot completely stop racing thoughts but you can control and reduce their intensity.
Be in the Present Moment
Don’t Think About Worst Scenarios
Find new Hobbies
Exercise
Medical Treatments to Control Racing Thoughts
You need to seek a doctor’s help for the treatment. Explaining your racing thoughts, mood swings, sleep problems, and other symptoms would make the doctor recommend you better ways of coping and treating racing thoughts.
Conclusion:
Racing thoughts are normal if you have control on them. If your constant thoughts are getting over your head, are you feel like destroying your life; things are extremely bad now. The reasons for having racing thoughts are many, and it does not necessarily means you are suffering from bipolar disorder. Medical treatments are available in case your racing thoughts are a medical condition.
In the words of Maria Erving, I would like to advise you; “Don’t believe your racing thoughts.”
