Originally Posted by
anvilhead 
but it hasn't "gone away."
that might be the key there, seek. it doesn't GO AWAY, not like pulling out a splinter....its more about seeking and finding balance. like learning to deal with a disability. think like a Marine: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.
i don't believe it's that you CAN'T do this, just that you haven't found out HOW to do this in a way that makes sense and works for you.
I don't know if this will help but I do a Zen based meditation for 10 to 20 minutes a day. I sit, sometimes on the floor, sometimes in a chair and either count my breaths or just follow my breathing. With counting breaths I only count on exhales and count to 10. When I get to 10 I start again at 1. If I find myself distracted by a thought or emotion that's ok, I don't worry about it but I don't pay it any special attention, I just refocus on my breaths.
What this has done for me is allow me to slow down and for my mind to slow down. My thoughts don't race hardly ever anymore and when they do I am aware of it much sooner. I do a couple of deep breaths and usually calm right down. I seldom spend any time on the crazy train anymore. I don't know why it works but I do know that I am feeling much more centered since I started do this as a regular practice. You have to give it some time though. It took me a couple of weeks before I started to notice a difference but wow, it is worth it.
Anvil, thanks for quoting the Marines and for spelling it correctly. Most people spell it with an m rather than an M. So, from a former Jarhead, Semper Fi.
Your friend,