Having a busy mind is one of the difficult experiences you can go through as it clouds your judgment and rationality completely.
While we can’t control our repetitive thoughts, there’s always something you can do to calm your busy mind. Overthinking will rob you of your peace and happiness faster than anything else, but finding a way to deal with your negative thoughts is the best way to counter that.
It’s in these situations that you’ll find distractions the most helpful. In this article, we’ll be exploring 15 solutions to calm your busy mind.
Why Your Mind is Always So Busy
We have at least a thousand thoughts each day and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with that amount of thoughts. Our thought patterns have different directions and if you don’t calm your mind accordingly, these thoughts will get the best of you. Nobody can control their thoughts completely, but you do have a say in what you choose to do with those thoughts.
The mind is the most powerful tool you have and the reason why it feels so busy is your focus on things you can’t control like your past, your worst mistakes, your regrets, and other negative things that have happened in your life.
Replaying these events over and over will get you nowhere but downhill in your sanity. But developing some new mental habits will help your mind from racing around in circles.
15 Solutions To Calm Your Busy Mind
1. Learn to Breathe
Breathing is the quickest way to relax your busy mind and get you back in control of your thoughts. When you take a deep breath, your brain feels relaxed because oxygen is a very important part of every cell.
You can achieve this by focusing on one inhale and one exhale while blocking all other thoughts from entering your busy mind.
2. Distract Yourself
When busy thoughts won’t go away no matter what, the best solution is to find a way to divert your mind elsewhere. You can distract yourself by engaging in activities that require your full attention like cleaning or doing work. Try positive activities like exercising or meditating to get rid of busy thoughts for good.
3. Practice Meditation
Meditation is one of the most helpful ways to calm busy thoughts because it helps you focus on one thing at a time. It is also known to help you redirect your busy thoughts or worries elsewhere as well as achieve a relaxed state of mind.
There are various types of meditation that will help busy minds, so pick the type you feel most comfortable with to start.
4. Use Positive Self Talk
This will be difficult at first, but once you master it, busy thoughts won’t have a chance to take over your imagination. Instead of thinking negative things about yourself all the time, replace those thoughts with positive self-talk.
This will help you become more confident and busy thoughts that bring you down will eventually disappear.
5. Do Yoga or Tai Chi
Focused breathing is one of the main reasons why busy minds find yoga and tai chi helpful in controlling busy thoughts. These activities also involve deep concentration which helps busy people feel more relaxed.
Practice these activities for at least 20 minutes every day to reduce busy thoughts.
6. Focus on Your Outcomes
It’s easy to be busy when you have goals you want to accomplish, but busy minds will start interfering with your plans if you don’t set boundaries first. Have an outcome in mind and focus on it no matter how busy your mind becomes.
This will help incessant thinking from taking over and move your busy mind from a negative state to a positive one.
7. Keep Track of Your Thoughts
When you try to control your overwhelming thoughts, it may be helpful to keep track of them. By writing down all the negative thoughts you have, for example, and then analyzing them one by one will help you find peace in your busy mind
8. Listen to music
They say music describes perfectly what we feel and everything we refuse to say out loud – and that’s correct.
Listening to music is so therapeutic for your thoughts because not only does it act as a distraction, but it lets you take a break from the constant mental noise playing in your head.
9. Help someone out
There’s this little trick you can do to ease your mind, which is to help someone in whatever way you can.
Doing simple acts of kindness can make you forget about your overwhelming thoughts because your focus is now turned towards helping other people.
This also reduces feelings of loneliness and stress and increases pleasure and connection.
10. Get outdoors and breathe in fresh air
It’s easy to be trapped within your thoughts when you stay in the same environment that triggered those thoughts.
It’s always a good idea to go outdoors and walk even for just a few minutes. This change of environment can do you good when calming your busy mind.
Being around nature and having your daily dose of the sun’s rays can also do you some good.
11. Get creative
The best time to work on your art is when you’re feeling something in particular – to give you just the right amount of inspiration to get creative on your craft.
Use your art as a way to release your thoughts so that you can effectively calm your busy mind. Not only do you get to work on your art, but you feel much better afterward.
12. Take a break
There are situations where a busy mind results from stress, fatigue, and overworking.
When this is the case, give yourself a well-deserved break and rest from your obligation and duties.
Your collision of thoughts may be a result of the pressure you’re putting on yourself so the only solution is to stop, pause, and take a break.
13. Separate your self-worth from your thoughts
Tying your identity to your thoughts is the worst mistake you can possibly make, but it’s something we tend to do occasionally.
However, you need to realize that you are not a reflection of even your darkest thoughts. Remember that not all your thoughts are valid so you can’t tie who you are to your thoughts.
14. Turn your phone off
Having a busy mind is bad enough to deal with and you don’t need the toxicity of the online world to add to that.
It’s best if you turn your phone off for a while and focus on more uplifting activities such as journaling.
15. Do some organizing around the house
This may seem like an unusual part of this list, but organizing will make you forget the thoughts you were battling with once you’re done.
It acts as one of the best distractions for your mind.
The Benefits of Calming Your Busy Mind
- You’re a happier and more carefree individual
- You don’t second guess every decision you’re making
- You can focus on the present moment without worrying
- You’re more productive and driven in your tasks throughout the day
- You have the mental clarity to get things done
- You’re more resilient in getting through tough situations
- You’re able to come up with more creative ideas
- You don’t overthink every situation in your life
- You have a more peaceful and grateful life
Final Thoughts
I hope this article was able to shed insight into everything you needed to know on calming a busy mind.
Your mind is your best asset, but it can also lead to your self-sabotaging decisions if you’re not careful enough. This is why it’s crucial to deal with your thoughts accordingly before letting them get the best of you.
This way, you’re more rational and logical despite the overwhelming thoughts you have in your mind.