Benefits Of Worry Time
- First, you put a name to the sources of stress.
- Second, you release worries from your mind.
- Third, you find ways that the stress can be relieved.
- Finally, you enjoy a sense of accomplishment when you tackle and review your tasks.
If thoughts related to the stress present themselves at night, you can respond by simply telling yourself, “I don’t need to think about this right now. Instead, I will think about it tomorrow during my scheduled worry time.”These affirming thoughts can shut down the stream of thoughts and allow you to get to sleep.
Racing Mind And Anxiety
Rapid thoughts are often a symptom associated with anxiety. They can make people feel out of control or as if they are going crazy.
When it comes to sleep, this effect of anxiety is a cyclical problem. Because your brain struggles to focus when it is tired, it often leads to racing thoughts. Anxiety and racing thoughts then keep you awake, a lack of sleep is bothersome, and sleep deprivation continues to contribute to anxiety. So, how can we break this cycle of anxiety and sleeplessness?
This infographic provides some advice for calming your brain and getting to sleep faster.
Develop A Routine In Training
If youve tried simulating a race in training and have found that the logistics, pre-race nerves and hoopla of the race are what trigger your anxiety, work on developing a routine that helps you focus on race morning. Similarly, if youve used races as training runs and youve gotten to the point where you can at least show up to the race and feel relaxed, the next step is getting to the starting line with your nerves intact and confidence high.
Building this confidence comes from developing a specific and repeatable pre-race routine in training. Generally, people get worked up about the outcome of events they cannot control. Therefore, you need to keep your focus on the elements you can control, like a familiar warm-up routine. Implementing this tactic before a race helps put your mind in a comfort zone with a familiar routine that has worked many times in training and keeps you calm, cool and collected on the starting line.
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Strategies To Help Stop Racing Thoughts When You Have Anxiety Or Depression
There are many ways to quiet your mind and stop racing thoughts when your brain seems to never shut off.
It is important, however, to understand that there are many mental health conditions associated with debilitating racing thoughts:
- Attention deficit disorder
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Bi Polar disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
There are also medical conditions and certain medications that can have an impact on your thought process.
Although there are many ways to gain control of your thoughts, it is NEVER a good idea to try and diagnose yourself, nor to treat yourself at home when you have persistent discomfort that is leading to dysfunction in your daily functioning.
How To Slow Down Your Racing Heartbeat When Feeling Anxious
Steve Pavilanis is a normal everyday guy who suffered from extreme social anxiety and panic attacks for over five years. He knows what itâs likeâ¦Read More
One of the most common and frightening symptoms of anxiety is a racing heartbeat. When I was suffering from frequent panic attacks, my heart would beat so furiously that I worried I was having a heart attack. The following technique can be used to help calm yourself down and return your heartbeat to a more normal pace when feeling anxious.
It all starts with a deep breath
Ive used this technique to overcome panic attacks when flying, stuck in traffic, and before public speaking. It helps provide immediate relief and can snap you out of an anxious state of mind. When anxiety arises, give it a try.
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Start A Gratitude Journal
“Focusing on those things we appreciate about the day shifts our focus away from worries and concerns and drops us into our heart instead of our head,” Dr. Skillicorn says.
As a matter of fact, people who practiced gratitude writing demonstrated better scores on mental health compared with those who simply wrote about their daily thoughts and feelings, according to a March 2016 study in ââPsychotherapy Researchââ.
“A whiff of organic lavender oil or a drop on your pillow can shorten time to sleep onset and increase sleep quality and duration,” Dr. Skillicorn says.
That’s because lavender is known for its sedative and hypnotic properties. Indeed, a July 2015 âJournal of Alternative and Complementary Medicineâ study found that incorporating lavender at bedtime improved sleep quality for college students with self-reported sleep issues.
Getting Help For Racing Thoughts
If still plagued with racing thoughts after accessing the above holistic and lifestyle interventions, it is advisable to visit a mental health professional who can provide more intensive treatment. Depending on whether the underlying issue is anxiety or depression, the treatment will address the diagnosis and the specific features. These mental health conditions require a two-pronged approach:
- Medication. The doctor will prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication , or mood stabilizers like lithium depending on the diagnosis.
- Psychotherapy. The most popular type of psychotherapy for either anxiety or depression is cognitive behavioral therapy . With CBT the individual learns how to change the distorted internal messaging that results in the anxiety or depression symptoms, and then the racing thoughts. Both individual and group therapy sessions provide opportunities to learn new thought-behavior patterns that can help mitigate the fears or triggers that fuel the symptoms.
Treatment for anxiety or depression can be obtained in a variety of settings, including private practice, outpatient programs, day programs , or residential treatment.
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Repeat A Word Or Do A Mental Puzzle
One of the early, but effective solutions to overthinking and intrusive thoughts in bed is called âarticulatory suppression,â in which you would mouth a word at a rate that makes thinking about any other thought difficult â usually 3 to 4 times a second.
The underlying psychology is complex, but the theory is that mouthing a word requires a lot more mental power than just thinking it and the use of that mental power causes a blocking of the original intrusive thought. Choices of word for this method include:
- the word âtheâ2
- a nonsense syllable
- a proper name .
The only requirement is that it has no emotional significance to you . You can also extend the technique by:
- accompanying the word you use with a visualisation of a shape, like a triangle or square. This is particularly useful if your intrusive thoughts have a visual component.7
- adding a puzzle element, such as counting back from 1000 in certain âjumpsâ e.g. 1000, 993, 986, using âjumpsâ of 7 in addition to using a word, image or syllable.
Since everyone is different, it might take a few goes to find a process which works for you.
How To Calm A Panic Attack
A panic attack is an exaggerated fear response to perceived danger or stress. Symptoms can come on very rapidly and might include:Heart racing and struggling to breatheFeeling faint or dizzyFeeling very hot or cold, trembling or shakingFeeling disconnected from your mind, body or surroundings
People who experience panic attacks sometimes worry they are going to have a heart attack or die. However, although panic attacks can be frightening they are not life-threatening and there are things you can do to manage the attack. Different things will work for different people so experiment to see which of these techniques helps most for you:
Focus on your breathing. Try to breathe in and out to a count of five.Focus on your senses taste a mint, touch something and notice how it feels, be aware of any smells around you.Stamp up and down on the spot for some people, this can help to control their breathing.
If you experience lots of panic attacks with no obvious trigger or cause you may be diagnosed with panic disorder. Treatments may include talking therapies or medication.
The impact of anxiety and stress on your mental and physical health means it is important to develop healthy coping strategies. If you are concerned about your heart health or would like a diagnosis of symptoms, such as chest pain or breathlessness, talk to the London Heart Clinic who can provide a rapid diagnosis and an effective treatment plan.
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Simulate Race Conditions In Training
The second strategy for overcoming racing demons is similar to the tactic of using races as training runs rather than use races as training, you treat a few of your most difficult workouts as race simulations.
This approach will also help you identify the root cause of your racing fears. By comparing what gives you trouble in your race simulation with what gives you trouble during an actual race, you can take steps to work harder on correcting your weaknesses.
For example, if you approach the workout worried that you wont hit the prescribed paces, its evident that your race fears are caused by pressure to perform and lack of confidence. If this is the case, you can also implement the fourth strategy in this article focus on competing, not times .
Likewise, if its the general atmosphere or logistics of your race simulation that has you dreading your upcoming run, you should focus on constructing a repeatable and comfortable pre-race routine, as described in the next section.
Racing Thoughts During Anxiety Attacks
You may also experience racing thoughts during anxiety attacks. Often these thoughts are about your health or wellness, and focused on the attack itself. Some people worry they’re going to die or panic over what they’re feeling, and it can feel very difficult to get those thoughts under control.
Unfortunately, waiting it out is the only option. Try to slow down your breathing so that your anxiety attack is less stressful, drink a bit of water, and see if there is someone you can call to take your mind off of the attack. Once the attack winds down, your thoughts should get back under control.
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Reframe Your Ruminating Thoughts
When your mind races before bed, your first instinct might be to make it stop ASAP. But pushing away your worries or trying to control your concerns may not be the answer.
“Being curious about your thoughts, emotions and body sensations â rather than judging and seeing them as problems to be solved â helps shift us out of a state of hypervigilance,” Dr. Skillicorn says.
How Are Heart Palpitations Managed
If you have heart palpitations, or irregular or rapid heartbeats, there are a number of things you can do:
- Try to sit down and relax or find somewhere quiet to rest.
- Keep yourself calm and in a comfortable position.
- Try not to panic as this can make your symptoms worse.
- You may find it helpful to loosen any restrictive clothing that can affect your breathing, such as your collar button and tie.
- Avoid any stimulants that could make your palpitations worse this includes caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and recreational drugs.
If you are concerned about your heart palpitations, please consult your doctor.
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Getting A Clear Picture Of Heart Rhythm And Rate
Cardiac health and anxiety are interrelated. Each can affect the other. The best way to get a clear picture of heart rhythm and rate is to monitor the heart for a period of time. This can be done with a heart monitor. A heart monitor is a small device that records heart rhythm day and night or during active symptoms. Capturing heart rhythm over several days or weeks, a doctor can accurately determine which comes first, anxiety or abnormal beats.
Do you have questions about cardiac symptoms? Contact Premier Cardiology Consultants at 516-437-5600 for assistance.
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Controlling Anxiety Takes Time
Theres no quick fix for anxiety, and it may often feel like an uphill struggle. But by gaining awareness of what causes your symptoms, and getting help from your doctor, you can manage your symptoms.
You may find some of these hacks work for you straight away and others may have no effect at all, but the important thing is to keep trying.
Giving in to feelings of anxiety by retreating from the world only served to make my life more difficult in the long run. Continuing to search for solutions that work for me has been key to my recovery. Practice makes perfect, so dont stop trying to find ways that work for you.
Fiona Thomas is a lifestyle and mental health writer who lives with depression and anxiety. Visit her website or connect with her on .
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During A Panic Attack
During a panic attack, your thoughts are often racing and related to your own health. You pay attention to every little change in your body, wonder what’s happening, and often experience this degree of confusion that only makes your thought pattern more agitated.
Your goal is to essentially try to take yourself out of your own head. You cannot stop the adrenaline that pumps through you when you’re experiencing an anxiety attack, but you can utilize strategies that make the racing thoughts less upsetting and possibly fight the anxiety that causes them. Some strategies include:
- Sensory Distraction Distractions are a key component for managing racing thoughts. They’re actually an incredibly important one. You need to find a way to distract your mind from itself so that your racing thoughts do not become too severe. In order to “get out of your own head,” try something simple like calling a friend that knows you have panic attacks and talking to them. Maintaining a phone call requires a lot of your thoughts, and can decrease the amount of attention you can give your anxiety, thus decreasing your racing thoughts.
Alternatively, do something calming and enjoyable, like taking a walk in nature or listening to relaxing music. Pay attention to the sensory experience – what are you smelling and seeing as you walk? Notice the range of tones and sounds in the music that youre listening to.
Maintain A Consistent Sleep Schedule
Going to bed and waking up at the same times each day is one of the pillars of sleep hygiene those guidelines sleep docs recommend for ensuring a good nights sleep. It helps the mind, too. If you try to go to bed early, when your brains not ready to sleep, it will focus on other things, Breus says, which keeps the brain excited and awake.
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Ditch The Watch And Stop Over
The final way to get over your fear of racing is also the easiest to implement: get back to basics and stop over-thinking your race.
The most common reason runners struggle mentally with racing is that they get too caught up in the minute details of the race, especially the ones they cant control. Typically, the mistake of over-thinking is centered around pace hitting specific splits or running a certain goal time but it can also be triggered by weather, course terrain, shoe decisions, or concerns about running with perfect form. Interestingly, the more a runner struggles in a series of races, the more heavily they tend to focus on these details, which usually snowballs and psyches them right out of the race.
The main objective at any race should be to give 100% effort at the end of the day, thats all you can control and its all you should focus on. The solution almost seems too simple to be true, but its by far the most effective strategy if you find yourself consistently underperforming in races.
Inhale Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender has a reputation for being calming, and some research supports this claim.
Some
Do not apply the oil to the skin without first diluting it with a carrier oil, such as almond or olive oil.
Although research suggests that essential oils may have some health benefits, it is important to remember that the Food and Drug Administration does not monitor or regulate the purity or quality of these. A person should talk with a healthcare professional before using essential oils, and they should be sure to research the quality of a brands products. A person should always do a patch test before trying a new essential oil.
Many mental health conditions can cause racing thoughts, and it is essential to seek a doctors advice for diagnosis and treatment.
A doctor may use a to assess the type of thoughts a person has and why they are happening.
A person should speak to a doctor if they experience:
- repeated episodes of racing thoughts
- a low mood and symptoms of depression lasting more than 2 weeks
- symptoms of anxiety, ADHD, or other mental health issues
There is no single treatment for racing thoughts, but some options include:
- medication, psychotherapy, and other treatments for mood disorders and other mental health conditions
- reviewing medications that may trigger racing thoughts
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How Do I Know If I Have Heart Problems Or Anxiety
You can notice your heart palpitations are due to anxiety because they are temporary and are tend to present during certain situations or under the effect of some substances.
In contrast, if you have a heart problem you may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness, weakness or coldness in your arms or legs.
However, it is important to get medical advice and assessment to rule out if your heart palpitations are due to anxiety or a more serious condition.