What to Do When Your Mind Won't Stop Racing

When your mind is racing, the worst thing you can do is tell yourself to stop thinking. It doesn't work. The thoughts are trying to solve something, protect something, or finish something.

Write it down

Give the thoughts a place to land. A notebook, a notes app, the back of an envelope. When a thought is captured, it stops asking for your attention.

Move the energy

Racing thoughts are often physical energy with nowhere to go. Walk. Shake your hands. Do ten push-ups. Move the body and the mind follows.

Limit the input

One screen, one conversation, one task. Multitasking is gasoline on a racing mind. Cut the input in half and the speed slows.

You are not broken. You are overloaded. Treat the overload gently and the thoughts will settle.