Train of thought...

Trains chuff and huff and hoot and generally make a great deal of noise - stream trains, anyway. It's the same with the train of thoughts rushing through your brain. 'What can I make for dinner?/where are my car keys?/did I turn off the iron?/mmm... feel like a coffee.' etc. etc.. Mundane, arbitrary thoughts without end. Worrying, anxious thoughts. Often circular thoughts, coming round again and again.

It can be difficult to slow the train down, and nearly impossible to stop it. But we all need to take a break occassionally. Sometimes we can escape by reading a book or watching a movie, but it is worth the initial effort involved to clear the mind - clean and polish the train and oil the tracks, if you like - other than by distraction. Take a deep breath, mentally stand back and take a look at those thoughts as they flash by.

Weigh the worries and anxieties - is there anything you can do to ease the problem?  If you can do something about it, then do it. If you can't, then let that thought go. Worrying won't help. Stop worrying and fretting, and a solution may come to you.

Very often, there is so much noise - both internal and external - that we don't notice the quiet little voices of instinct, experience and reason softly humming away.