Racing mind and I can't catch it!

Anybody else occasionally have a racing mind? Mine gets so bad at times all I can do is lay there and binge watch Netflix. I go out of my mind I just want to scream. I have so much energy to do things but I can't focus on anything for more than a few seconds. It's even worse when I'm at work. To make matters worse I get so much anxiety thinking that I am going to get fired for not doing my job. Does anyone have any tips to deal with this?

Could this be my comorbids, ADHD?

Yes, i have been known to have it every so often. Its really quite irritating. Somehow, mindfullness has helped me

i'm bp2 having hypomania but no depression. my mind races constantly.lived like this with the diagnosis for almost 40 years…so the good thing is i no longer work or am raising children…just hubby and me and i've learned enough and have seen p/docs all this time…MY SOLUTION: SEROQUEL EVERY NIGHT TO STOP THE RACING THOUGHTS AND 1/2 KLONOPIN DAILY AND IF I'M REALLY ANXIOUS, I ADD MORE KLONOPIN TO THE MIX. the racing thoughts which create insomnia are for me, the most difficult aspect of the illness. i can empathasize with you.

Was that something you learned through a support group?

Support groups or therapist can teach you how. I use to mediate when my thoughts started up. Yoga and relaxing music also helped me too.

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Were these prescribed by your pdoc? I'm not familiar with these.

Thanks!

BleakGeek

yes, both prescribed by p/doc and seroquel at bedtime is the only drug that kills the racing thoughts: deep sleep, very vivid dreams and a hangover in a.m. for about an hr. but i'm retired and have no agenda in the morning other than working out daily at health club. am in vegas right now for 3 days and the stimulation of the noise, slots, lights, etc. always trigger major insomnia; i usually only need 1/2 25mg. to get good sleep nightly if i'm not stressed but out here in vegas i've needed 50mg. to sleep and am destabilized and will be this way til i return home tomorrow. i was on 450mg. lithium as a mood stabilizer for almost 35 yrs. but it did so much damage to so many organs, i got off and only use the seroquel which i think also helps chill me out daily as well as the klonopin. mania and insomnia are horrid and my hypomania is never fun.

meditation makes my racing thoughts worse. I often wear headphones and my iPod and playing some kind of music that drowns out the crap in my head...be it depression or racing.

For me it does help just to be aware of the racing.

and benzos

sucks man. good luck

For me, a revved up feeling and energy come with the racing thoughts so going on a nice long walk helps. If you get the energy too, I would suggest a gym. I get agressive so a punching bag may be a good idea. As for work, are you able to put ear buds in and listen to music? Sometimes I find that hard fast music while my mind is racing is actually soothing and helps me focus.

Thank you all for the tips! Everyone is so helpful! I love this forum!

I use xanex to "turn off" my brain ....

Man last night I was really suffering with this, I hate it. My mind just jumps from thought to thought with no space in between. Most of the time it's about things that mean nothin or don't help me in any way.

I beleive this just Zapps all of our energy that could be directed towards something fruitful.

I really need medication

You must live inside my head because you have just described my reality very well. I go through this frequently, and its a bit worse lately.

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How do you cope?

i get racing thoughts too, while manic and whilst depressed! it is extremely tiring, and the thoughts change from one minute to the next. One minute il decide i need to move town and the thoughts of where and how come racing in, then il completely change my mind and decide to study for a masters degree, then the thoughts of where il study etc, then il change my mind again and think i need to get a job…. all within the space of half an hour, sometimes the only way i can get away from it is by going to sleep. This is not a realistic solution for people who are at work/with kids etc but this is the only thing that helps me.

I talked to my employer about it recently and worked it out where I can call in and take the day off if it is too severe. It's kind of a weight off my shoulders. Even though bipolar is covered by the ADA I have to be careful with my work performance. There are ways employers can get around it. I'm glad I'm not the only one dealing with this! Misery loves company!

Racing thoughts are my primary symptom. I often have my mind going so fast I can't think. It's very frustrating. I've had racing thoughts my whole life as far as I can remember.

I just recently started lithium which has helped some. Also I finally took the clonazepam last night for the fist time. Whoa, talk about slowing down. But in a good way.

Since I wasn't on meds a long time one thing that really helped me was to play games.
Match 3 type games (like Jewel Quest or Candy Crush type of games,) basically, these are games that tend to be brightly colored and have goals. I don't pay for extra turns or whatever, so once I run out of turns I can move on to something else. But, it kind of forces me to focus in short bursts. That's my theory anyway.

Since I wasn't on meds a long time one thing that really helped me was to play games.
Match 3 type games (like Jewel Quest or Candy Crush type of games,) basically, these are games that tend to be brightly colored and have goals. I don't pay for extra turns or whatever, so once I run out of turns I can move on to something else. But, it kind of forces me to focus in short bursts. That's my theory anyway.



Ah, so glad you mentioned games... Crossword puzzles are good too. At least for me they really get me out of my head sometimes. You can buy an entire book of them pretty much anywhere. They're usually with the magazines n stuff.

Hugs! Racing thoughts were a landmark symptom for me that has fortunately gotton much more manageable. I was on an antipsychotic for 4 months (Zyprexa) that really helped slow down my mind. I was also on Klonopin (2 mg then tapered off thank god) for work anxiety. Klonopin can be very addictive- so be careful with that medicine.

Therapy has helped me a lot with my anxiety.

I started seroquel about five days ago and I have found relief from exactly what you are talking about for the first time in my life. The funny part (or not funny part, really) is that I didn't realize it was a problem until I started the seroquel. I just thought that's how I was, racing from one idea to the next in my head, I figured it was anxiety (I was dx with generalized anxiety disorder many many years ago, which was probably bipolar in retrospect). I don't feel drugged, just calm and able to think more clearly. I kind of love it as my job is very fast paced and detail oriented and the racing thoughts really made it hard for me at times.

Also working out! Burning off the racing thoughts seems to work for me, sometimes.

I used to feel like there was steam coming out of my ears. When my racing thoughts are at their worst I become suicidal on impulse. Meds are the only thing that help me. My mind won't slow down enough for meditation or mindfulness exercises. I take lithium, seroquel and Ativan.

I thought the suicidal impulse was just me but it looks like I'm not alone. Man this illness sucks!

Suicidal thoughts are a symptom and a very common one. I think that's something really important to understand. They are a symptom, like a fever. You can die from a fever, you can die from suicidal thoughts, but they are not the primary illness. It's just a sign that things are bad. When things are better they ease off.

I also have a theory that suicidal thoughts are a form of delusion. They are a lie your brain can't identify as a lie.

Anyway, when I'm having those thoughts I know I'm in trouble.

Me too!! I also have a possible BPD diagnosis so I wasn't sure where it was coming from.