How can I read books despite my problems with racing thoughts?

Submitted by IncompetenceHater t3_11rni0l in books

Even though it's not my favorite subject, I love English class, and I love to read. However, some of my mental disorders are getting worse. I have begun to get racing thoughts, and this has been a problem while I am reading texts and books. As a result, even though I have always had high grades in English, I got my first B- in AP Language last semester, the first B- in all of my years of schooling. Bummer, right? Yes, a B- is good, and some people would die to have a B-, especially in an AP class. My problem is I never get Bs, and this is showing that my racing thoughts are getting in the way of being able to read books for English class.

I talked to the English teacher that I had sophomore year (I'm a junior), who is also the AP Lit teacher at my school. She told me if I am having trouble getting through reading, AP Lit would very risky to take. She recommended Dual Enrollment English 101/102. As some of you might know, 101 and 102 in college are similar to AP Language. I do not want to take 101 or 102 because I would have already taken Lang, and I am sick of non-fiction. In Cold Blood is the death of me right now.

I miss reading a novel and talking about it with other students and the teacher the next day. I don't want to read about random murders that had no impact on society at all and other miscellaneous topics. I want to dive into a world, a world that is not ours and explore it. A fiction book.

My senior year will start on the last Monday of August. I have until then to fix this problem of racing thoughts. If I don't I will probably start failing AP Lit and have to switch to DE 101/102.

People might say I should get therapeutic and psychiatric treatment, but I already am. A previous psychiatrist overmedicated me, so I have to start over because I ceased my medication. I was put on Lamotrigine, but from what I know, it does not help racing thoughts, so I was recently put on anxiety medication. My therapist will assist me with these racing thoughts as well. In addition, I will be getting a 504 Plan by the end of this week to allow me to ask for extensions on assignments without question.

But let us postulate a world where I still have racing thoughts and struggle to get through a book.

How can I read books at a normal pace while still having the problem of racing thoughts?

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fallcomes t1_jc9fkvg wrote

I think the obvious answer here is to continue to rely on your therapist for help, and do not be afraid to seek other therapists if you feel like the sessions are not helpful.

Personally, while I do not suffer from severe “racing thoughts”, I do get interrupted a lot by random thoughts and ideas when reading. I find it helpful to not treat these ideas that negatively. At their presence I try not to judge myself or blame these thoughts. I acknowledge that they appeared in my mind, and carry on rereading parts that I missed. I try to not get anxious when I am interrupted, and tell myself that I can take it at my own pace.

Hopefully that helps and wish you the best of luck!

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aspacelot t1_jc9f430 wrote

Excluding medications, medical diagnoses, or any other stuff I am not qualified to speak on:

Read faster

I’m not joking, often when my mind wanders and I realize my eyes have been following the words but my mind has been elsewhere it’s because I’m slowly scanning. I think to myself “ok. I am reading now” and try to read at a much faster pace. This always draws me in and doesn’t allow my brain to drift off to other stuff.

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nefarious6th t1_jcak2w9 wrote

absolutely. try and recognize when you're having those thoughts, and saying "ok. i am reading now" is a mindfulness-oriented recognition of what's occurring without passing judgement that you arent doing enough/are falling behind. most of all, be gentle with yourself.

op, if it's worth anything, none of the books you read in high school are going to be books that other people havent already read and written up exhaustive summaries or papers on. when i was really struggling, i would try to read sections of the book, and if i was really having trouble with a stretch, i would let myself move ahead 5 pages. at the end, i thought about the plot and themes of the book, then reviewed a summary to make sure i understood it as it had actually happened.

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truebluedetective t1_jc9ea7s wrote

“I have until then to fix these racing thoughts”

I’m my opinion that’s not a great world view. Racing thoughts aren’t inherently bad. If you’re mind isn’t allowing you to enjoy your hobbies (example here being reading), then maybe ask what’s going on in your life that’s making you distracted. If you can identify it and address it then maybe it’ll alleviate what’s going on. At least that’s the hopeful outcome.

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Ineffable7980x t1_jca2hnw wrote

Being focused while reading does not come naturally to human beings. It is a skill that requires practice. At least in my experience this is true. I start by turning off the TV and putting my phone on the other side of the room so I won't reach for it every few minutes. If I listen to music, it has to be quiet and non-vocal. Then I really try to focus on the story that's being told to me. My mind naturally wanders but I keep pulling it back. Trust me It gets easier over time.

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thiccjesus3000 t1_jca9e4z wrote

This is exactly my experience as well. I keep getting pulled out by my thoughts, go back to the text. Overtime as a reader, it gets easier but if the book doesn't interest me that much, it gets funky

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These-Ordinary-3744 t1_jc9g2kh wrote

I like to put on asmr with no words in it. You can just search YouTube for “study asmr no talking”

For me it seems to help shut off that racing part of my brain by distracting it with nonsense noise input, and then I can focus much more on the content I’m reading even ifs it’s super glad study material.

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ughcult t1_jc9mohk wrote

Sometimes I find that the parallel play aspect of some ASMR study videos can help bring my mind back to reading mode once it starts to wander. Some days it just makes me sleepy, or it's overstimulating, but is worth trying out.

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Gabemiami t1_jc9gcgo wrote

Get an audio version of the book; I don’t know if that helps, but good luck.

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Humble-Roll-8997 t1_jca3sxq wrote

Different situation…I couldn’t read fiction after a certain event in 2016. It was severe anxiety. I could read non-fiction but even then not much “just for fun” reading for a long time. Also, I was on social media too much and shouldn’t have been. I hope you get better with the therapy you’re receiving. It’s a really frustrating problem.

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Re4leonkennedy t1_jce35fh wrote

Anxiety medication has helped me a lot with racing thoughts, hopefully it's the same for you. Other than that I would say try getting as physically and mentally comfortable as you can before reading. If you're stressed, anxious, fatigued, etc it will be hard to concentrate and read. Take a shower to relax muscles and nerves, get into comfy clothes, turn on some music works for me. Try to limit distractions as well. I read a lot easier if my phone is off and away from me. Last suggestion is to try to sleep better. Fatigue and eye strain make it very hard to focus eyes. An extra hour or two of sleep helps out a ton for my mood and ability to focus. I hope some of this helps, I know the struggle.

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uhhuhokaybye t1_jcpmh54 wrote

Continue your meds and seeing your therapist regularly, for sure, and share that you're still having these issues. Maybe try listening to some music without lyrics--classical, new age. Just make it something relaxing and not stimulating. There was this album called Music for Accelerated Learning that I used to listen to when studying. Very calming.

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strataromero t1_jcan7jx wrote

Take AP. You'll be fine. It's harder to do well when there's no challenge.

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