How can I stop thinking and shut my brain off?

We all have those days when our head is filled with so many different thoughts that everything is so overwhelming that we can't even think straight anymore. There are many different strategies that work for different situations. Although these strategies don't 'shut your brain off' (you will still be thinking), it helps me overcome my overwhelming thoughts. I personally believe the best strategy is to calm down and acknowledge your thoughts. Stop resisting them, but simply let them leave on their own. This may sounds silly, but if you relax, it does get better. Meditating is another common answer. Whether is it concentrating on one particular item, or focusing on your breathing, meditation comes in many different forms. Another strategy is to enjoy one of your hobbies. For me, listening to music is claming and reading a novel helps distracts my thoughts. I also have friends that exercise and does physical activity to distract themselves.

The thing is, everyone wishes to shut their brain off at some point but for me when I feel like this I try and use my distraction techniques, like colouring, listening to music, singing it out, dance/exercise, watching my favourite TV show, yes it's hard to manage our thoughts but we can distract ourselves the best we can

listening to music always helps me . i listen to a lot of rock music , in which i can relate to the song lyrics . mostly nirvana , bring me the horizon , sleeping with surens , etc etc .

Yoga helps a lot. Try to breath deeply. Light reading as helped me a lot too. Something kinda mindless, easy read. Working out just to take your mind off things

You can't stop thinking in fact they say your brain shuts down when your sleeping but 8n actual reality the brain is still working to keep you breathing what I suggest is a alternative is too simply distract yourself

You can't shut your brain off but you can slow down your thoughts. It'll be helpful to research mindfulness or even try out our mindfulness mood boosts exercises! When we relax and focus on our breathing, soon our brains do the same.

Meditation works really well for me!! I have an app called Calm on my phone and it's the most amazing thing in the world

Focus on your breathing and count up to ten and then back down again. This will keep your mind focused on one thing.

I can stop thinking and shut my brain off by looking for distraction such as listening to my favorite music, watching a tvshow or movie, reading a book etc.

I find that the best way to do this is to engage in an activity that needs your focus. Something like puzzles and online games that need you attention as well.

Do something that makes you happy or talk to something that always makes you feel better when you're down. Or do both. It's up to you. Just try your best to be happy.

Write it down or say it out loud - I am a consultant by trade and I spend my days sending countless emails and sitting on multiple conference calls. Seemed like every night when the lights went off and the sounds stopped my brain when in to overdrive. So much information rattling around up there, what happened today, what the agenda is for tomorrow, the follow ups next week, everything in my life all at once spinning around like a merry go round. To stop the cycle I simply started writing things down, I kept a pad next to my bed with a pen and wrote everything down that was on my mind. Once I said it out loud and had it jotted down the though went away because I knew I had a reminder ready for me in the morning. This has now evolved to keeping pads in the car and even post it notes in coats just to able to quickly take a note rather than dwelling on it.

We are thinking beings, However there are some great tools for quieting the mind. Have you tried meditation? There are many forms of meditation experiment and see which ones work best for you. Mindfulness is also great and you can experience it anytime. I recently started doing some lovely zen adult colouring books, they are great for getting lost in the lovely patterns and wonderful colours and then the relaxing motion of colouring in. When I colour it is like my thoughts float away. I also get this same feeling when I do a dance class. I would say experiment and see what fun things can give you that feeling.

Meditation and sleep are two great ways to quiet your mind. During sleep, your mind is able to process lots of things it was overloaded with throughout the day. If your noisy mind isn't allowing you to sleep, try meditating for a little while before bed.

To stop thinking and shut your brain off, you can practice mediation, distract yourself by being with other people and doing new hobbies or things you like.

Read a book, in print so as to avoid the backlight keeping you awake. Preferably somethings dry and boring, takes my mind off everything and makes me tired faster than any drug.

Rather shutting my brain off, I like to distract myself by engaging in activities I enjoy. I sing, to express emotion, or I'll draw or play video games.

Discover a hobby. Often repetition can help--coloring, doodling, exercising. Find your escape. Also, find someone who you can vent to. We tend to ruminate on events we haven't truly come to terms with. Get out there--share it--then you can free your mind from it

I Think yo should do some Warm Up Exercise, Yoga, or some sort of meditation before going to bed, it clears your mind, and calms and relaxes your body before going to bed, which helps you sleep better.

Meditation and exercise can help you to distract you and make you feel more at peace. Sometimes what can also help is if you write everything down, and I mean every little thought that's going on in your brain.This can, at least, organise your thoughts so your brain isn't rushing.

When you find the answer let me know! Seriously the only thing that works for me is sleep, meditation, and going out. And then when I wake up or come home my brain "turns on" again.

Distract yourself by doing something you enjoy, reading, music, TV, gaming or talking with friends all these things act as great ways to turn our brains of and just enjoy the moment.

You can't, :), But you could manage it, Try For about 10 to 15 minutes a day, “Write down what’s on your mind at an earlier time and what you’re doing about it,” distract yourself from your worries with so mental exercises, Focus on the positive, Try walking to clear your mind "beach, forest",

One thing to keep in mind is that trying to not think about something is the worst possible way to avoid it. The best thing to do is to tell yourself that you are aware of all the thoughts you could be having at this particular moment, but that you can think about them later.

Stopping thoughts altogether is easier said than done. Instead, try to disengage from the thinking, and objectively observe the thoughts, like cars on a highway. Just sit back and let them whizz around the highways of your subconscious. Sometimes it will be a clown car, and other times a garbage truck. The important thing is to not get too carried away with any one car. So keep thinking, but don’t get too carried away :)

Some people may find this very hard to do, while others may find it very easy. However to do this i would recommend simply trying to do a mindless task such as doodling whilst listening to some relaxing music or music which you find enjoyable. Meditation is also a good way to relax and not to think about things. But in my opinion the ultimate way to achieve this would be through practicing mindfulness.

Meditation is a good way to stop the mind from racing. Meditation takes practice, however, so it does not work immediately. There are many resources online, and mobile apps as well, that help you learn how to meditate and encourage practice. Meditation helps clear your mind of intrusive thoughts, and is scientifically proven to help with stress and anxiety!

Personally I use meditation or yoga to do this. Just put on some relaxing instrumental music, sit comfortably and concentrate on your breathing. It might help clear the clutter of thoughts in your brain.

Music. Try to find a song that 1)understands you or 2) keeps you distracted

Try focusing on something like your breathing this way you will be thinking of nothing but your breathing