How can I stop thinking and shut my brain off?

Something I've found very helpful is a technique I learned when I was doing yoga. You lay down comfortably on your back, close your eyes and breathe. You should breathe from your abdomen, rather than your chest, when doing this. You will relax yourself starting from your toes... you focus only on picturing your toes relaxing, each and every toe individually. Then you move onto your feet, your ankles, your legs and up... through every single body part. Think of that body part relaxing, letting go of your troubles, letting go of worries and just breathing... Picturing the hurry and the worry leaving your body with each breath. Works for me every time!

Meditation is probably the best way to stop thinking. Listen to nature sounds (I love the ocean) and breathe in and out. When you breathe in say "re" and when you breathe out say "lax." Start off by breathing normally and sit in a comfortable position. Every time your mind wanders off, say "re" "lax" aloud.

Try meditation. There are some helpful meditation apps in the App Store for android or Apple devices which will guide you starting out. Meditation is scientifically proven to help with stress and anxiety and will guide you in the process of clearing your thoughts.

I personally like to listen to calming music and i close my eyes and i just don't think, and if any negative thoughts come to me, i think of stuff that makes me happier. It's hard to stop thinking sometimes but you just need to welcome positive thoughts rather than negative ones.

I believe that in order to manage our thoughts we should focus on our breathing through meditation. We can also write down the thoughts that are bothering us, and read them to ourselves... By doing this we're able to digest what we're feeling, and "shut" our brain off in a way.

Sing. Just sing your favorite song (bonus points for playing an instrument) or even memorize a poem and act it out as dramatically as possible. If you don't like the sound of your own voice: listen to intense classical music and pretend you are the maestro (bonus points for standing).

There isn't really a way to shut off your brain, you're brain automatically thinks honestly, even while your asleep, your brain isn't really asleep, it's still at work.

Distraction is key! Through meditation, jogging or even reading a book distraction is one of the best ways to stop thinking. :)

A nice vacation. If that's not possible then I suggest perhaps taking time out alone , simply a bath or a long walk to clear the mind and connect with your inner self.

No one can stop thinking, but we can refocus and slow down our thoughts. One of the best ways that I've found to do that is to listen to holographic nature sounds. Just by listening and visualizing you can refocus your mind and give it a break. Visual meditation can also help, as well as anything that breaks the cycle of thought, like going outside etc.