racing mind... letting go...
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Somwhere over the rainbow
Posts: 1,175
racing mind... letting go...
Hi All, to any newbies that might happen by if I missed you, welcome; if I already said it, welcome again ...
I have this issue, I have a mind that "races" on issues all day and sometimes all night. I have problems quieting it and getting to sleep at times. It was one of the things that led me to drink b/c I would "obsess" about things and my mind would race away and I would drive myself nuts examining all the possibilities. From other posts on here I know others have similar issues and / or issues with anxiety, letting go, worrying, etc...
By chance, I happened on a really cool thing that works to assist me in stopping the racing and calming myself down... and I thought I would share it... by the way if anyone else has any ideas, feel free to share yours too.
My mind began racing as a result of something at work... as usual in my view what I had done "wasn't good enough, I had messed up"... in actuallity it was very minor and NO ONE noticed, just me...
Anyway I find myself hours later still beating myself up over this percieved mess up... part of my childhood issues is that I was never good enough for my parents... everything was always my fault... including being born... (I do know that that isn't my fault... hey they had sex after all not me
oops, rambling.. now where was I??? oh ya...
Anyway, I stopped what I was doing and I consciously took a deep breath in and I exhaled it slowly and while breathing in I brought my hands to my chest as I would if holding a puppy, and then gently as exhaling I pushed my hands out and released the puppy... I only did this twice and the thought disappeared and I didn't think about it again... try it, it works!
K one caution and/or note to self the next time I do this I will not do it while driving at 70 mph... good thing the road was straight... that said, the exercise works really well!
Levi.
I have this issue, I have a mind that "races" on issues all day and sometimes all night. I have problems quieting it and getting to sleep at times. It was one of the things that led me to drink b/c I would "obsess" about things and my mind would race away and I would drive myself nuts examining all the possibilities. From other posts on here I know others have similar issues and / or issues with anxiety, letting go, worrying, etc...
By chance, I happened on a really cool thing that works to assist me in stopping the racing and calming myself down... and I thought I would share it... by the way if anyone else has any ideas, feel free to share yours too.
My mind began racing as a result of something at work... as usual in my view what I had done "wasn't good enough, I had messed up"... in actuallity it was very minor and NO ONE noticed, just me...
Anyway I find myself hours later still beating myself up over this percieved mess up... part of my childhood issues is that I was never good enough for my parents... everything was always my fault... including being born... (I do know that that isn't my fault... hey they had sex after all not me
oops, rambling.. now where was I??? oh ya... Anyway, I stopped what I was doing and I consciously took a deep breath in and I exhaled it slowly and while breathing in I brought my hands to my chest as I would if holding a puppy, and then gently as exhaling I pushed my hands out and released the puppy... I only did this twice and the thought disappeared and I didn't think about it again... try it, it works!
K one caution and/or note to self the next time I do this I will not do it while driving at 70 mph... good thing the road was straight... that said, the exercise works really well!
Levi.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,476
That's a great suggestion Levi! And, I'm glad it helped you because I know it's awful to be plagued by those thoughts that never stop.
Controlling breathing can be such a great help. Have you ever tried yoga? The combination of controlled, focused breathing and stretching is really awesome!
Controlling breathing can be such a great help. Have you ever tried yoga? The combination of controlled, focused breathing and stretching is really awesome!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: The Big Woods
Posts: 521
Racing mind, not good enough, thinking too much (in a loopy sort of way, you understand), obsessing over every detail ad nauseum...we drive ourselves insane in that. It's been my thinking that I can think my way through or around everything. Knowing the shortest distance between point A to point B is a straight line, I opt to take the way backwards through the entire alphabet, examining both the captial and lower case letters, exploring 14 different fonts of each, and as if that weren't thorough enough, I also considerimagainary letters and whatever tangents they might send me off on. Complicating the picture, messing with the direction, bypassing or never arriving at the goal, beign so caught up/ mired down in considering all the options.
It can be informative and entertaining to explore every angle of every thing. But that's all about CONTROL. It's a demonstrative lack of TRUST. Antithetical to FAITH. Prohibitive of PEACE. I think our reasoning behind allowing ourselves to do this is to know every possibility so to not be blindsided. So not to be hurt. So not to disappoint ourselves or others. That obsessiveness in poring over the details so to gain control... owns us. It controls us. See the terrible irony in that. Our quest to control, controls us. We need to learn to LET GO if there's going to be any peace.
I'm an absolute novice at this but clearly, obviously now, something has to change, which is why I'm here...seeking potentials to find resolve (or at least some ease from this persistent dis-ease.) It's about retraining our mind away from the controlling obsession, and into something that allows us to let go. I've been informed of some techniques that I've just barely begun but can see they have phenomenal ability to restructure my thinking, away from the racing mind, into the much more steady, rhythmic, reliable heart. When you find your mind spinning out of control Get OUT OF YOUR HEAD and INTO YOUR HEART. You stated this precisely in breathing and placing your hands over your chest. FEELING your soul, not reacting to your chaotic brain. I think/ feel/ believe that this might be a key to overcoming active addiction, which of course stems primarily out of your own thinking. Surely the body doesn't want those chemicals, and most certainly neither does the spirit. It's all in your head. Quick way to address that would be to get out...so to let go. It's worth a try, and I've seen how this works already in my very short time working with it. And if you're still fidgety and restless, do something physical, where you FEEL your heart pounding. To remind you where your true center really is. You know I'm writing this for my own understanding, as well as to share what precious little I've learned. Together maybe we can make sense of this and learn to calm down, and let go.
It can be informative and entertaining to explore every angle of every thing. But that's all about CONTROL. It's a demonstrative lack of TRUST. Antithetical to FAITH. Prohibitive of PEACE. I think our reasoning behind allowing ourselves to do this is to know every possibility so to not be blindsided. So not to be hurt. So not to disappoint ourselves or others. That obsessiveness in poring over the details so to gain control... owns us. It controls us. See the terrible irony in that. Our quest to control, controls us. We need to learn to LET GO if there's going to be any peace.
I'm an absolute novice at this but clearly, obviously now, something has to change, which is why I'm here...seeking potentials to find resolve (or at least some ease from this persistent dis-ease.) It's about retraining our mind away from the controlling obsession, and into something that allows us to let go. I've been informed of some techniques that I've just barely begun but can see they have phenomenal ability to restructure my thinking, away from the racing mind, into the much more steady, rhythmic, reliable heart. When you find your mind spinning out of control Get OUT OF YOUR HEAD and INTO YOUR HEART. You stated this precisely in breathing and placing your hands over your chest. FEELING your soul, not reacting to your chaotic brain. I think/ feel/ believe that this might be a key to overcoming active addiction, which of course stems primarily out of your own thinking. Surely the body doesn't want those chemicals, and most certainly neither does the spirit. It's all in your head. Quick way to address that would be to get out...so to let go. It's worth a try, and I've seen how this works already in my very short time working with it. And if you're still fidgety and restless, do something physical, where you FEEL your heart pounding. To remind you where your true center really is. You know I'm writing this for my own understanding, as well as to share what precious little I've learned. Together maybe we can make sense of this and learn to calm down, and let go.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 398
Leviathon,
Thanks for the great post. I read somewhere that deep, controlled breathing can reduce stress, and this is even used by soldiers in combat situations!
I have been doing some breathing exercises I learned when in residential treatment, and they really help me a lot. They consist of slow but deep controlled moments of breathing.
ChrisMan
Thanks for the great post. I read somewhere that deep, controlled breathing can reduce stress, and this is even used by soldiers in combat situations!
I have been doing some breathing exercises I learned when in residential treatment, and they really help me a lot. They consist of slow but deep controlled moments of breathing.
ChrisMan
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
