Any ideas on how to shut down an over active mind?

Question

I am a woman in her late thirties who is under a lot of stress lately. My mind seems to be working over time. I just can't seem to focus my thoughts on one particular subject,or shut down at the end of the day. My mind races at night and it takes me up to 2 hours to fall asleep.
Other symptoms include:
Losing a train of thought, and forgeting a word or terminolgy that I should know and not being able to complete a sentence when speaking to others.
Forgetting what I was going to do, say, or where I was going.
Unable to focus on one thing.
I bought a word find puzzle book, and a coloring book with crayons in hopes that I would be able to focus my attention on one thing at a time.
I currently have four or five books that I've started reading and can't seem to finish, and I lack the energy to get anything done.
Any suggestions as to how to stop or slow down my over active mind would be greatly appreciated.
Forget the smart aleck remarks. Serious responses only, please.

Wow! some great ideas so far. It's going to be hard to choose. A few points, though. I am not big on taking drugs, not in a relationship,unemployed and not sexually frustrated. Keep the vulgarity to yourself, please. I will report you.

I forgot (LOL) one other important detail- Persistent chest pain under my breasts. Sometimes it feels like a vice grip other times it feels like a knife.

Answer 1

I have the same problem -- I've always called it "hypernoia" but I could be misusing an existing medical term.

For a while, I would take Ambien (a hypnotic) to get to sleep and to establish a good sleeping pattern, but it didn't help for long.

I get music, lyrics, commercials, video games, and things like that repeating over and over. I also tend to have the aphasia you describe-- the inability to recall a particular word or name. ("I just got a call from......... Joe! And he says he's having trouble with his.... Smartphone and its... calendar and.... daylight ....... savings.... stuff.") (I'm serious, it can be that bad for me sometimes.)

One thing that has seemed to help is to get some moderate exercise in the afternoon after I get home. Also, I've added extra fiber to my diet (a glass of metamucil in the morning which is kindof like a glass of Tang, it's not all that unpleasant.) It helps control my blood sugar, and that seems to help me not get annoying spikes and drops in it.

If your house is messy, that doesn't help. Try to get one room just absolutely spectacularly clean in one day, then focus on keeping it clean and move on to the next one. (Don't try to clean the entire house in one day, just focus on one room at a time.) A really clean and neat bedroom can be a sanctuary for you.

If you're in a good relationship, try to take the time to talk to your partner about your feelings. Maybe not every day (which could be draining on your partner) but maybe schedule one night a week to do that. Or perhaps one of your girlfriends can act as your 'diary' (although I would think you already have such a friend.)

Your job could be causing a lot of this stress-- and in today's economy it's hard to be sure your job will still be there for you from one day to the next (sorry to remind you.) But, updating your resume now to prepare for such an even will also help remind you of your skills and talents. It could help instill confidence in yourself to have all that written out. Added confidence can help to relax you.

Of those four or five books, identify the one that you have the least interest in and put it back on the shelf. Don't let that it is unread be a mark in the "unfinished" column of your scoresheet to nag at you and feel like it counts against you. Think of it as a failure on the writer's part to make it interesting to you. Now find the most interesting book on the list and just set aside 30 minutes a day to continue reading it. Maybe at the start of the last hour before you go to bed. This'll give you 30 minutes to read, and then another 30 minutes to get finally settled in before bed.

Other than that, it's really hard to suggest for you what you should do, since I often use these techniques and they don't always work for me...

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Have to add to this now that you mention the chest pain... It could be heartburn (that persistent?), maybe acid reflux disease, or it could be heart disease.

I have similar pains, and went and got an angiogram and did the treadmill test as well as having the gamut of blood tests. Triglycerides through the roof-- bad LDL and too low HDL. It could be similar for you. This you cannot ignore. Herbal teas, soaking in a hot tub, relaxing etc are good for mental states but if your heart is in trouble then you really need medical attention.

As you are unemployed-- maybe you need something (even a part-time job or volunteer work for a worthy cause) just to give you a sense of purpose....

Answer 2

Your symptoms reflect my living history. I used to get lost in the suburb I lived in for 10 years! When visiting a brain surgeon he did an electrograph and discovered I was highly stressed, did not sleep well and was depressed. Since taking medication I am my old self again.

I am not pro pill taking, but sleeping tablets (over the counter) really helps your brain to switch off and give you a good night's sleep. You need this in order to wake up refreshed and ready to go through the next day.

Answer 3

Take about 100 - 150 milligrams of Diphenhydramine
( Benedryl ) before bedtime..
Do not have any caffeine after about 6 pm....
You may find masturbation will help relax you for sleep...

Answer 4

Take a sabatical or a holiday and reflect on the direction your life is in and if it presents with problems, take time to choose something else

Answer 5

I have the the same problem but not to that extreme. You may need yoga or something to relax your mind, or exercise.

Answer 6

tryn Don't sound so Naieve.,I know an active Mind can be Harnessed for good purpose, Why shut it down? If that's what you really want you might as well abuse Drugs! (for ExamplePCP,Ketamine,GHB,etc...)

Answer 7

bi-polar?