Thoughts always Spinning

You will have thousands of thoughts today, and most of them you already had yesterday or days before. Even when we want to be quiet or go to sleep often you can't completely stop your thoughts.

Thinking can be repetitive and often negative like “that’s stupid” or “I'm stupid.” Other thoughts come randomly, and they may be thoughts you would be afraid or embarrassed to tell anyone else. Thoughts just come, that's what they do. Your thoughts are not the same as you. You are more than the running stream of your thoughts.

Ever watch a running stream? There is a TV channel that shows nature videos continuously. On it you can see mountains, waterfalls, lakes and streams. In the scenes of peaceful streams the water often runs over, under, and around rocks. It makes bubbles that grow, float along, then pop. Maybe, like me, you have seen this. Running water makes bubbles.

Often you can't completely stop your thoughts. That is okay if you can learn to place your thoughts in context as just part of your life experience, not your dictator telling you what to do or who you are.

Certain practices can calm down your thoughts, making them more manageable. Picture your thoughts like bubbles in a stream; they form and they go away. How do your thoughts make you feel? Do some thoughts soothe you? While others upset you? Do some thoughts bring anger? While others make you happy?

Then consider the truth or the untruth of your thoughts. Do thoughts come to mind that want to draw you in but are just exaggerations that make you fearful? You can admit to yourself you have all kinds of thoughts. But you don't have to act on these thoughts or accept them.

I encourage you to try getting this separation from your thoughts. Simply notice your thoughts and notice yourself. Because you're not the same as your thoughts, you can put some distance between the real you and the thoughts that you have. You do not have to accept the invitations of anxiety to worry. But the first step is to notice this in yourself.

Psalm 139:23 NIV says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” We can ask God to search, and we can ourselves search and know our anxious thoughts, and thoughts can be evaluated, judged, and kept or set aside. You are more than the running stream of your thoughts.