Can't stop my mind from thinking

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Any solutions for this? Always going on tangents in my mind.

Some people get amphetamines from a doctor for ADHD.

If you have a special interest, you might experiment to see if yu are able to focus better pursuing that. It might be possible to add an intentional component to focus so that you can use it in other areas.

If you had some kind of reminder about what you needed to focus on, would that remind you to keep going back to it?

Try listening to music or a podcast.

Drink camomile tea.

Intense exercise.

A few thinks that have helped me in the past. Obviously you don't have to do them all at the same time.

Me neither.

I guess it's like sharks and swimming.

Maestro Kevin,

I could answer with the Ai type answer:
Effective and proven techniques to 'get of your train of thought':

1. Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness helps you observe thoughts without becoming entangled in them. Studies using fMRI have shown that mindfulness practice reduces activity in the default mode network (DMN)—a brain network associated with mind-wandering and self-referential thinking.
Key practice: Focus on the breath or bodily sensations, and gently return attention when the mind wanders.
Effect: Builds meta-awareness, allowing you to notice thoughts as events in the mind rather than truths or commands.

2. Cognitive Defusion (from ACT)
This technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you "unhook" from thoughts by seeing them as just words or mental events.
Example: Instead of thinking “I’m a failure,” you say, “I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.”
Effect: Creates psychological distance and reduces the power of negative self-talk.

4. Cognitive Reappraisal
This involves consciously reframing how you interpret a situation. It’s a core part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and has been shown to reduce emotional reactivity and improve emotional regulation.
Example: Reframing “I messed up” as “I’m learning and growing from this experience.”

5. Self-Distancing Techniques
Research by psychologist Ethan Kross (author of Chatter) shows that using third-person self-talk or imagining yourself from a “fly on the wall” perspective can reduce emotional intensity and improve decision-making.
Example: Instead of “Why am I so anxious?” try “Why is [Your Name] feeling anxious right now?”

6. Expressive Writing
Writing about your thoughts and feelings for 15–20 minutes a day has been shown to reduce rumination and improve mental clarity.
Effect: Helps externalize thoughts and gain perspective.

My personal experience has been that thinking about your mind thinking, allowed me to distance myself and not be tugged along for the ride each time my mind rolls down another crevasse...

The 2 big remarks here are:
- There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this problem.
- There are still moments I cannot dis-entangle myself from my thoughts, but these mostly occur when I'm alone. And I don't wish or have an external need to keep the 3rd person perspective going as I do in social situations. I tackle those with my special interests.

Kind regards,
Kada

Sigh...my mind apparently has a mind of its own.

On Wednesday evenings one of my chores is to take the trash out to the curb. If we take it out too soon our Homeowners Association might get upset. If we take it out too late it will not be on the curb when the trash collection company comes around on Thursday mornings.

Unfortunately, we are both happily retired and are not quick out of bed in the mornings so if we don't take the trash to the curb on Wednesday night before we go to bed we will almost certainly not be up in time to take it to the curb on Thursday morning before the trash is collected.

This week, when I took the trash out to the curb I forgot I was supposed to also change the filter in our HVAC system so I could put the old, dirty filter in the trash at the curb. I did not change the filter. We both went to bed blissfully ignorant of this lapse.

At about 3AM in the morning I was deeply asleep (not even dreaming)...and I suddenly popped completely awake with the realization I had forgotten to change the HVAC filter and include the old one in trash on the curb.

My mind has to have a hidden mind that supervises me.

I can see the attraction of a technique for keeping the mind from going off at tangents.

In my experience, my mind usually focusses itself well enough when it's an urgent matter, so when there's no urgency I usually let it do what it wants. If I slow it down I just get bored and impatient. Trying to stop thinking completely just doesn't work for me.

I suppose one way is to write down the idea and then try to lock onto that, and to keep coming back to what's written when the mind drifts off. Those Tony Buzan patterned diagrams look like they might be better than just writing, but I've never got the hang of those.

I've done a bit of that meditation exercise where you focus on just one thing, like the air going in and out of your nose, and it works better than trying to stop thinking, but it doesn't work if my mind has decided to be in a racing mood, and then it just gets demoralising to try.

Sometimes when I'm stuck in a thought loop.
I think as if I'm speaking to someone I care about. They don't want to hear too much negative. So instead I begin asking myself for support and sometimes I give myself that support or even find a solution.
Think of it like a form of CBT but completely internalised.