Our minds oftentimes play tricks on us – when we suffer with anxiety, even more so. In people suffering from anxiety disorders, racing thoughts are a common symptom. Such people are usually oppressed and scared with their own mental processes, as they find themselves unable to stop obsessing and worrying. It may seem impossible dealing with racing thoughts, but it’s important doing so… since otherwise they will contribute to making your anxiety get worse.
In the heights of a panic attack, you may find your trains of thoughts running dangerously fast, to the point where you feel it might derail and make you go crazy at any moment. You may realize your thoughts go in circles, and they keep dragging you down in a spiral of hopelessness. You may feel like you are going to die or that you are alone in your suffering, that you feel completely detached from the rest of the world. You will likely feel that you are beyond salvation and condemned to a living hell.
Regardless of the nature or content of your oppressing thoughts, you need to do your best to focus on this fundamental truth: those racing thoughts are just a product of your anxiety disorder. They are not natural thoughts or even reasonable thoughts; quite likely they’re the kind of thoughts that wouldn’t even cross your mind, if you weren’t suffering widespread anxiety. This will be your first tactic in dealing with racing thoughts: you need to avoid making a big deal out of them.
Your second tactic will also be quite simple, yet effective: you must force yourself not to chase after those racing thoughts -they’re just a product of anxiety, remember? There’s no need to confront those thoughts either, you just have to focus on doing something very simple: let them go. Just let your thoughts race freely, and don’t judge yourself. Remember, those aren’t your real thoughts, they’re just a product of your anxious state.
If you try stopping your racing thoughts, if you try chasing after them… you will most likely fail. By doing so, you’ll only give them more energy to race faster; so what you need to do is just the opposite. As you let your racing thoughts go without judging them or delving into them, you’ll soon realize your anxiety fades, and you will soon start feeling much better.
