The way you describe your mental images sounds equally beautiful and frustrating haha. I can relate, actually! When I have racing thoughts, it’s like everything is flickering in my mind, thousands of images and I can’t hold on to any of them. Maybe it’s not so much smoke in my case, but more like a vicious hailstorm, hitting your face all at once like little projectiles.

I prefer daydreaming to that scenario. It’s easier to slow down if I’m going through stories in my mind that I want to write. That’s when I see two “realities” at the same time. But when it’s just thoughts, like random everyday thoughts, it’s like a slideshow on speed and oh, let’s also add a random song and play that on top over and over. There was a month where I had the Burrito Burrito Taco Taco song from South Park stuck in my head 24/7. So fucked, man. Many years ago my boyfriend told me that he didn’t always think of something. That sometimes his head is just empty, in zen mode and he’s relaxing. I thought he was joking because don’t everybody have projectile-thoughts in their heads all the time? Nope. Not everybody has. And not everybody see words and numbers in colors with texture and taste either.

Brains are so chaotic and strange and unique and wonderful ❤️