The thought express

If I was able to count them, I think I’d easily hit 4,000 thoughts running through my mind at any given time? I’m no scientist, and they’d probably tell me that the real number is much much higher (given the complexity of the brain and the amount of data it processes) – but it can’t be just me, right?

I think if there was a marathon for thinking, I would definitely be in the running (see what I did there?) for a medal.

A few examples for you. I was sitting on my bed feeding my four-month old daughter wondering when I should start her on solids, when I noticed a mark on the bedspread that our muddy pooch had obviously left there. This reminded me of the other washing I needed to soak but hadn’t got to. Oh yes, and I need to get stain remover and coffee from the supermarket which I can do on the way to pick up Miss 2 from daycare. Then I can swing past the post office to collect my parcel, but I might do that tomorrow because I wanted to go to the paint shop to get some samples. Maybe I’ll just do Australia Post and the paint tomorrow which means the muddy pooch can go for a walk, oh and call about swimming lessons!

There you go, breastfeeding to swimming lessons in 10 seconds flat.

Another time it started with coffee. There I was, waiting for delicious warm coffee to hit my mug, wondering why my top cupboard doors were so dirty. It’s not like the toddler can reach up there and we use the handles? Speaking of handles, I need to get a replacement one from Bunnings. And maybe I’ll get a sneaky sausage sizzle while I’m there, that can be lunch because when I get home I have to bath the kids before heading back out. Actually I won’t go to Bunnings now I’ll go on Tuesday when I go to the shops, that way I’ll save time now and might be able to check out inflatable world instead.

Coffee to Inflatable World in 5 seconds.

And then I had a dream about spiders. It’s a recurring dream for me. I wake, certain that there is a spider dangling above my head or on my pillow. After waking the household searching for said scary arachnid I mentally add bug spray to my shopping list which I’ll do on Friday before daycare pickup so that after swimming on Saturday I can get some work done. If my work is done that means Monday I can declutter the spare room and sell a few things on my local buy swap sell, then use that money to by that book I heard about on the radio. I wonder if the bank sent me that email?

Spider dream to bank email – about 30 seconds, allowing for drowsiness.

I find this happens to me all the time – all day, all night, in the car, in the shower, walking, working, cooking, whatever. Sometimes it’ll just be over-analysing one topic. But mostly it’s completely random thinking and I’ll get from A to Z in 3 seconds flat. It’s exhausting and can literally keep me awake all night, running off an all sorts of tangents.

There’s been nappies ending at cocktails, iPhone ending at Mexican, BBQ dinner ending in Finland and my laptop ending in ‘I wonder what it’s like to be in jail?’. There’s loads more too – I have my entire adult life of randomness locked away in the confines of my brain.

Yes I’m organised, but perhaps my brain goes a bit too far in its search for order. If I can’t make sense of something it stresses me out, so maybe this is my way of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s – ensuring there’s nothing out of place? I can’t possibly be the only one that goes through this process!

Can you relate to this? Does it happen to you? Please share in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

16 Comments

- - ella12 said
  - 31 May 2016
    4:40 pm
I can definitely relate to this!

- - rovermum said
  - 30 May 2016
    9:51 am
Yoga and age has definitely helped me with mindfulness, and calming my mind. I was always someone who couldn’t get to sleep because I had so many things going through my mind, or during the day was constantly thinking ahead to all that needed to be done or said. I still have those moments, but now I’m more aware of them and try to slow things down and write a list, or breathe, or let things go. It’s definitely a work in progress.

- - mom19782016 said
  - 29 May 2016
    8:22 pm
Yep, me too. I often have so many thoughts that I’ve forgotten what I started off thinking about. I always like backward chaining to see if I can remember how I got there! Our brains are very complex and clever!

- - mom134803 said
  - 28 May 2016
    4:01 am
Oh yes that happens also to me especially when I have/take too much on my plate and there is too little time to vent and relax

- - mom101628 said
  - 27 May 2016
    1:43 pm
Think we are all trying to remember too many things – in my case I often wonder if it’s the start of dementia to be consistently off on another tangent and forget the first thing that came into my mind. Nice to hear that there are a lot like me out there.

- - meedee said
  - 26 May 2016
    8:19 pm
haha…..yes indeed but then I find that I forget what on earth it was that lead me here in the first place.

- - mom156049 said
  - 26 May 2016
    11:13 am
Sure can relate – I’m constantly training off on a completely different topic – the thought patterns of mums haha I’ve gone from burping baby, to gardening to booking vet appointment to cooking dinner in 30 seconds just now hehe and still trailing off on other thoughts

- - rachelvk said
  - 10 May 2016
    8:11 pm
I find it interesting when I try and retrace my thought path back. Oh the tangents our minds take.

- - mom90758 said
  - 09 May 2016
    12:25 pm
It happens to me too! My mind never rests. And the worst moments are in the middle of the night. If I suddenly wake up, instead of trying to relax and go back to sleep, I start thinking about this and that… till the alarm goes and I realize I lost entire hours just thinking!
- june11 replied
  
  11 May 2016 , 12:09 am
  This sounds just like me. I have even solved problems in my dreams then woken up and written down what I remember. Result = wide awake but at least I won’t stay awake for hours trying to work it out. Then I have to get some sleep before the alarm rings…or should I say try to ? That is more often the case.
- - Lori-Anne said
  - 09 May 2016
    6:35 am
Yes I can certainly relate to this. I have a 5 week old and lots of other outside stresses at the moment so my brain is a mess. I have to write things down otherwise I forget because my brain retains so little.

- - mum4107 said
  - 09 May 2016
    5:41 am
I can totally relate to this. I’m sure we all can. Sometimes it gets in the way of sleep for me

- - BellaB said
  - 08 May 2016
    9:45 pm
I think it’s because there’s so much we have to do and remember!

- - mom81879 said
  - 08 May 2016
    8:17 pm
Yes, for sure, my mind doesn’t have an off button, not even a dimmer switch. Makes it hard to sleep :/

- - jabelle said
  - 08 May 2016
    7:59 pm
oh god yes, Like I have 759 tabs open at once! Do you think it’s because we have so much access to EVERYTHING now? GOOGLE, internet in general and transport have changed the world. Without internet and a car…life would not be so crazy I’m sure. Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?

- - mom160421 said
  - 08 May 2016
    3:47 pm
I will, like everyone, daydream and drift from one thought to another before coming back to reality, but when it comes to day to day chores, I will make a to do list and then ticks things off. This is to stop me from panicking or stressing. I find the only time I’m all over the place with my thoughts is if I’m upset about something or someone.