Types of racing thoughts and how to manage your busy ADHD brain

Living with ADHD often means living with a brain that’s constantly buzzing, racing thoughts, tons of ideas, noise, worries, and distractions. This noise can come with a variety of mental states that can feel overwhelming, exhausting, or, at times, even exhilarating. Identifying which kind of 'busy' it is, can help determine what strategies will help you quiet the noise.

In this article, we’ll explore different ways racing thoughts can show up in three common ADHD brain modes which I’m calling Brain Spam, Idea Fireworks, and the Anxious Loop.

*Don't want to read the article? Scroll to the end for the visual summary 👇

🧠 Brain Spam: When Your Brain Won’t Stop Talking (and Won’t Say Anything Useful)

Of all the ADHD busy brain modes, this one might just be the most annoying.

You wake up already mid-argument with someone in your head. Your brain is unhelpfully connecting dots, drawing up past examples of rejection, awkwardness, or being ignored. Suddenly, you’re reliving something cringey you said in 2019, convinced it was wildly inappropriate.

It’s a deeply unpleasant state that can leave you feeling down, rejected, or inadequate.

Rehearsing these old worries and concerns can reinforce negative views you may have about yourself but really, most of the time, it’s just noise.

Your brain isn’t reflecting reality, it’s under-stimulated and filling the silence with internal chaos because ADHD brains crave novelty and engagement.

When they don’t get it, they make their own entertainment. This is why for active ADHD brains, boredom isn’t quiet at all- it’s mentally loud.

Strategy: Feed Your Brain Something Better

This is your cue to give your brain something interesting, nourishing, or connecting to focus on.

Ask yourself:

• What would genuinely interest me right now?

• Is there something I’ve been curious about reading, watching, or learning?

• Or do I need connection?

  
  

And while social media is rarely among my recommendation (hello, ADHD time warp), it can be a last-resort tool. If your brain just won’t settle and nothing else is working, letting it hyperfocus on something mildly entertaining might give you a needed reset-just try to keep it intentional and time-limited.

Your brain’s hungry, so feed it something worthwhile.

💡 Idea Fireworks: When Inspiration Overflows

This is a fun and exhilarating kind of busy brain. You’re bursting with ideas, making connections, solving problems and it’s like your creativity is in overdrive. This can happen when energy is high, around certain hormonal shifts (such as the follicular phase), or after exposure to something inspiring.

When managed well, it’s an amazing state for innovation and insight. But if you’re trying to get something specific done, it can be incredibly distracting resulting in you ping ponging between tasks and getting nothing done.

Strategy: Indulge or reduce stimulation (depending on your day ahead)

• If it’s a day with fewer obligations: Let yourself explore. Follow the ideas, deep dive, and enjoy the ride. These moments can be energising and deeply fulfilling and your creative mind at it’s best. Go down that rabbit hole, deeply research something that peaks your interest!

• If you need to stay on track: Be mindful of what stimulates you. Even something as simple as reading the news, checking your inbox, or hearing a clever idea in a podcast can set off a chain reaction. Think of it like giving sugar to a high-energy child and then asking them to nap, it’s not going to happen! In the same way, sitting down to focus after feeding your brain stimulating material is going to be a challenge so try to avoid anything that will offer your brain new exciting tangents to follow.

  
  

*And because you don’t want to lose those great ideas that surface (but don’t want to follow them either right now) have a pen and paper near by to capture them before they go.

🔄 Anxious Loop: When Worry Takes Over

Sometimes, the busy brain doesn’t feel exciting, it can feel exhausting. You might find yourself spiralling into “what ifs,” ruminating on problems, or mentally preparing for something that feels like a threat. This is especially common in AuDHDers (people who are both autistic and ADHD), who may be especially sensitive to change, uncertainty, or unfamiliar environments.

This anxious state is likely your brain trying to alert and protect you.

Strategy: Process First, Then Calm

Before jumping to calming strategies, first honour what your brain is alerting you to:

• Is the situation something you can control?

If not, give yourself time to process your concern with journaling or talking to someone, then move on to calming strategies.

• Can you prepare or problem-solve around it?

For example: If you’re attending an unfamiliar event, your brain might worry about who will be there, what the environment will be like, or whether there’s a quiet space if you feel overwhelmed.

In this case, there may be actions that you can take to help your brain feel safe, e.g.

• Doing a trial run of the route or venue

• Finding out who else is attending and who you’ll feel comfortable with

• Gathering details ahead of time (e.g. lighting, food, bathrooms)

  
  

Once your brain has had a chance to prepare, then support your nervous system to wind down:

• Practice calm breathing, yoga or meditation

• Indulge in selfcare strategies

• Spend time in nature or with animals

• Use gentle reassuring self-talk

• Try gentle movement or grounding exercises

Final Thoughts (not racing ones😉 )

Managing ADHD’s busy brain starts with understanding it. When you can recognise whether you’re in Brain Spam, Idea Fireworks, or an Anxious Loop, you can respond with the right strategy, rather than resisting or shutting yourself down.

*Coming up with your own way to label how these experiences feel can be empowering and give you the best reflection of how you experience different states.

With compassion and creativity, you can work with your mind to transform distraction into direction and chaos into insight.

And most importantly, remember that racing thoughts aren’t always a problem. Sometimes, they’re your brilliance showing up fast and unfiltered.

Download the visual summary here:

ADHD and racing thoughts.pdf

Download PDF • 384KB