How To Calm An Overactive Mind?

Everyone worries sometimes. However, if you find your mind is on overdrive all the time, you may need to find ways to calm it down or clear it. Meditation, yoga, and mindfulness can help you clear you mind, which can calm your thoughts down. However, you can also learn ways to distance yourself from your anxiety, so that it doesn't run your life. You may also find that your mind employs cognitive distortions, which are ways your mind plays tricks on you to convince of something that isn't objectively true; figuring out which ones your mind uses is the first step to combating them.

Write pressing thoughts down. If you find your mind racing before a bed or while you're trying to work on something else, take a moment to organize your thoughts. Write down the things you need to get down on a to-do list. Put any ideas down in a notebook or computer file for that purpose. Jot any questions or thoughts down on a notepad. Once you've taken a few minutes to organize your thoughts on paper or a screen, your mind will be freer to work on other tasks.

Use a journal. Another helpful writing technique is to make writing in a journal a part of your nightly routine. Taking time to write about your thoughts and feelings can have a similar effect to telling someone about them; that is, it helps draw out some of the tension and anxiety. Don't think you have to write about anything specific--just start writing, and see what comes out.

Focus on one task at a time. It's tempting in today's busy world to try to do more than one thing at a time. However, your brain isn't built to work like that; rather, it's built to focus on one task at a time. If you try to focus on more than one task, your work becomes sloppier and you'll feel mentally disheveled.

Learn to sort information. When you have too much information coming in, it can feel overwhelming. Try to develop a system to sort through information as it comes in, only keeping the important stuff. The extraneous details just bog down your mind. One way to know what's important is to listen to what's being repeated, as usually only the important stuff gets that treatment.