Could Your Racing Thoughts Win at NASCAR? 6 Steps to Slow ‘em Down

‘I think therefore I am’ is the manifesto of the self-aware person.

But sometimes our thoughts don’t stop and they are no longer productive.

On the contrary, these thoughts repeat themselves again and again. They are usually of a fearful and worrying nature.

They can escalate into a chain of non-stop anxiety. It seems impossible to get off. You can’t just jump out of a race car!

Racing thoughts can be the sign of an underlying, more serious issue like Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Depression. Sometimes they are part of a panic attack. If these symptoms persist, consult a professional counselor.

But racing thoughts can also arise from too much pressure at work, uncertain life situations, psychological trauma, or insomnia.

Here are 6 steps to slow those thoughts down.

1. Slow down your breathing

If your thoughts are racing like cars around the track, then your breathing is also likely to be fast and shallow.

Take a moment to sit still and close your eyes.

Focus on the present moment.

Observe your breath. Don’t worry about it. Don’t force it. Just observe how you inhale and exhale. That’s all.

You breathe. You are alive. Your breath connects you with the world around you right now. You are good enough. You are in the right place.

Then, very gently, try to lengthen your exhale. Just a tiny little bit.

If that goes well, try to hold your breath for a short moment after you inhale.

Maybe that is enough for right now. The purpose of slow breathing is to  connect you to the present. It also helps to get more oxygen into your system and to eliminate the waste product carbon dioxide.

If you feel calmer, you can try the 5/5/7 method. Inhale for a slow count of 5, hold for a count of 5. Then exhale for a count of 7. If possible, the out breath should always be a little longer, so that you can rid your body of the carbon dioxide.

2. Write your thoughts down

When you put your hands on the keys and start writing, your thoughts have to slow down, at least to your typing speed. As they appear on the screen, they take shape. You shape them. Some of their vague, all-encompassing power disappears.

3. Cognitive distancing

A useful technique from CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Be bold. Use the anxious energy to face your most negative thoughts and create a worst case scenario. This may at first seem counter-productive, but it actually helps in two ways.

• You structure your thoughts and that makes you slow down automatically and puts you back in charge as the ‘structure maker.’

• The worst case scenario is usually not very likely. Following it through is a welcome reality check.

4. Talk to someone else. It doesn’t matter about what.

This seems so obvious, but when you have racing thoughts, it’s often the last thing that occurs to you. By interacting with another human being, you need to put your thoughts into words.

You also get instant feedback. The other person meets your thoughts and words with questions and comments. As the conversation develops, you need to listen as well as talk. You get a chance to engage with something outside yourself. Your thoughts stop racing

5. Take your vitamins!

Perhaps you are surprised to hear this, but vitamin deficiency can play a part in mental health issues.

Vitamin B deficiency can be partly responsible for problems relating to anxiety and depression. Vitamin C is important to keep up a healthy immune system. If your immune system weakens, your stress levels go up. And you are also more prone to anxiety and racing thoughts.

6. Play a video game, solve a cross word puzzle or Sudoku

When  your mind is chattering away, you can occupy it playfully with your favorite game, online or offline. It’s easier to immerse yourself in the short term structures of a game. And you can also leave it whenever you need to stop.

Riddle and puzzle games are particularly useful because they give your mind a different, clearly defined problem to solve. You experience yourself as a problem solver, however small.

Your thoughts are yours. They don’t own you. It’s your mind, and you can make the decisions. Even if it doesn’t feel like that when your thoughts are winning the NASCAR, it is still true. Always true.