5 Ways to Quiet Racing Thoughts

If you struggle with overthinking, racing thoughts and loud mind, here's some simple and effective ways to help quiet them down.

These self-help tools are great for managing stress in your day-to-day life.

Living in Our Heads

Do you ever get to the end of your day and think, “Wow, was I even present during all of that today?”

We can all get caught up in our thoughts, thinking about what our next task is, trying not to forget to pick up the milk on the way home, or ruminating on why our neighbour didn’t smile at us this morning. But it can sometimes be problematic if we get stuck interacting with these thoughts; not only can we miss out on being present, but it can deplete us of all our emotional energy.

The power of the present

If we find ourselves constantly living in our heads, interacting with numerous thoughts, we can miss out on what is right in front of us.

Imagine being able to enjoy that walk to the post office, or that car journey first thing in the morning. Imagine if you could find stillness instead of rushing. Imagine noticing what you feel in the moment, instead of working on autopilot.

Turning the volume down

Some activities allow us to switch off from our thoughts and focus on the moment, like riding a rollercoaster or wild water swimming. But usually, these aren’t part of our everyday lives, and so we may have to work a little harder to quiet our thoughts day-to-day.

It's important to note here that our thoughts will always be there (groan), but we can learn ways to turn down the volume or take a break from them. Below, I have listed my 5 favourite ways to turn that volume dial down on thoughts.

5 ways to quiet racing thoughts

1- Write them down

Writing those thoughts down can give them a place to go. Instead of carrying them in your head, allow the paper (or your phone) to hold them for you. They will still be there when you need them.

Schedule time

Personally, I like to schedule everything. If I need to remember to check in with a friend, I schedule it in. Adding these sorts of things to a phone calendar lets your phone remind you to do that thing, and you can choose a convenient time to be reminded. So, if you need to grab some beans, set a reminder for 10 minutes before you’re likely to be passing the shops. This is one less thing for your thoughts to worry about.

Lists lists lists

Making a to-do list, or a shopping list, is super simple and effective, and you have the satisfaction of crossing items off the list.

You can make a list for anything, and you can even organise them by priority.

Personally, I like to make my lists digital so that I have them on my phone wherever I am, but pen to paper is just as good.

Free writing

If you haven’t yet tried free writing, it’s totally worth giving it a go.

The idea is to give yourself a certain amount of time, or a certain amount of paper to fill. Perhaps starting with just 5 minutes, or one side of A5 paper, you just write whatever comes to mind. Your writing doesn’t need to be neat; in fact, it doesn’t even need to be readable. Just write whatever is in your head. For me, I might begin by writing “I have no idea what I am writing, but I feel…” and let it flow! You’ll be amazed at what comes out.

It’s another way to free up space for your thoughts to focus on the present.

2- Make them visual

Sometimes thoughts may require a little more visual help. Perhaps you have an idea or a project you’d like to start. If your thoughts include imagery, putting those on paper can help free your mind up.

Visual boards

Making a mood board for your ideas means that you can collate all aspects of your ideas into one place, which can help to make sense of what you want to achieve, as well as giving those ideas a space to settle.

My absolute go-to is Pinterest. You can create different boards for different ideas, projects,

hobbies, and interests. There’s also a lot of inspiration on there to help you get started.

Collage

Another good way to help make your thoughts visual, especially if they’re abstract, is by collaging. You can layer up different aspects of your thoughts and put them in an order that makes more sense to you. Collage can be a creative way to explore your thoughts. Just grab some magazines and a glue stick!

If you’re particularly talented, you might be able to draw the thoughts yourself.

Map it out

Mind maps can help to get out those muddled thoughts, which seem to have no particular priority or order. Just throwing all of your thoughts out onto paper can be useful as a starting point. After doing this, you can begin to explore your mind map. Which thoughts are you drawn to? You can do this using words or pictures, and another of my favourite ways to create these is by using Canva. This way you can search for images that feel relevant, then move elements around after you have brain dumped.

3- Worry time

Scheduling worry time might sound like a radical idea, but sometimes just knowing you have a space to explore your thoughts can allow you to put them aside in the meantime.

Half an hour

Choose half an hour in your day that you can dedicate to your worries. This might involve writing them down, making them visual (as explored above), or simply observing the thoughts. During this time, you might find solutions to some of your worries, and this could be the time to write down those solutions so that you can take action where necessary. Sometimes, there may not be any solutions, and when your time is up, let them go and schedule another worry session.

With a friend

Maybe you have a friend who struggles with their thoughts too. Why not ask if they would like to have a worry time meeting on a regular basis? An agreed amount of time where you take turns to express your thoughts, vent, and then let go. Be careful to choose someone you trust, and let them know your expectations. This might look like letting them know that you do not want advice, just a listening ear. Remember, it is not your responsibility to fix their worries, nor is it theirs to fix yours.

With a professional

Counselling offers a safe space, with a trained professional to explore your worries and thoughts. As a counsellor myself, I see the benefits of having this space on a regular basis. Someone outside of your life, that has no judgements of you, who will allow you the space to explore, as well as to help you make sense of your thoughts.

You can find a qualified therapist on Psychology Today, or Counselling Directory.

4- Meditate

Similar to scheduling worry time, scheduling time to meditate allows you space to explore what’s going on for you.

Deep space

Meditation can be a very powerful tool and can take you to a deep place you may not have been aware existed. There are many online videos with guided meditations, so it's worth taking some time to search for something that feels right for you.

Make sure to take time after your meditation to ground yourself. The next section will have some ways that you can do this.

Finding the right meditation

Maybe you have a particular worry or issue you would like to explore. Taking time to figure out what it is you want to achieve from meditation is really important. This gives you time to prepare for what you might uncover, and therefore how much time and space you might need afterwards to ground yourself. Maybe you want to let go of something, maybe you want to soothe your anxiety, or perhaps you just want to switch off. Try searching for guided meditations for those particular areas.

I love to use Insight Timer for these.

Visualisations

Visualizations are slightly different from meditation but can be a wonderful way to focus your attention. Again, these are widely available online and can help you find a calm, relaxing space within yourself that you can escape to when you want a break from your racing thoughts.

5- Mindfulness

I saved the best until last here! I will be completely honest, several years ago, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of mindfulness! I thought it was nonsense, and then I tried it. And oh my word, it was amazing. It’s a way to focus your thoughts on one thing that you are doing in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness teaches you how to focus your thoughts!

What’s it all about?

So, mindfulness is a practice, and practice makes perfect. It is not easy. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I could probably write an entire blog on mindfulness, but for now, I will tell you the basics.

Aim to notice when your mind wanders. This is what will happen. It's not about noticing when you fail to keep your attention on the task, rather about noticing when you need to bring yourself back to it.

Easy practice

The easiest way to begin (in my opinion) is the 5,4,3,2,1 technique. This is a great way to ground yourself.

You can do this anywhere, but I like it most when I am walking.

First, notice 5 things that you can see. Maybe the birds, a picture, your breath in the cold air.

Move on to 4 things that you can feel. This might be your feet in your shoes, or maybe you can touch something like a table, or notice how the sun feels on your skin.

Then listen out for 3 things that you can hear. Sometimes this may require you to tap something, or rustle paper.

Next, we look for 2 things you can smell, maybe a candle, or the smell of the washing powder on your jumper.

And finally, one thing you can taste. This is the perfect opportunity to have a cup of tea, or a little treat.

Keeping focus

The aim here is to keep focus using our senses, and when we do this, our thoughts will quiet. Just remember, it's completely normal for your thoughts to interrupt this practice, and once you notice you have wandered back into your thoughts, just come back to the practice.

Keep practices short to begin with.

You can try making a cup of tea mindfully. Just notice what you hear when you get your cup from the cupboard, how heavy the kettle is, how the tea smells, the way the steam appears, etc.

There are lots of mindfulness practices available online to try. Just remember that the practice is to bring your thoughts back when they wander, and eventually you’ll notice them earlier and earlier each time.

Some final thoughts (pun intended)

So, there it is, 5 ways that you can help to quiet racing thoughts. This is a very short explanation of these ideas, and my first ever blog post!

I want to acknowledge that many people really struggle with anxious and intrusive thoughts, and I know in my work as a therapist, I see a lot of people who need support around these. If you do struggle, reach out to your GP, find a suitably qualified therapist, and contact your local mental health charity. There’s always help available, and you just need to ask for it. Don’t struggle alone, because you do deserve support.

I hope some of these ideas help someone, and thanks so much for reading!

Below is a list of the tools I use and have mentioned.

Be kind to yourselves.