How can I stop thinking and shut my brain off?

I'm afraid you'll have to shut your brain off first, in order to stop thinking. but you will have to think in order to do that, so this is a real conundrum. To simplify the problem, just pull the plug as they say. If you can reach the plug from within the iron lung, that is.

Try listening to nature sounds, close your eyes and just relax! If any unwanted thoughts appear, push them away!

I find the best way to do this is look around me and spot colours - so, pick a colour (say green) and look around until you've found everything green in the room. Then choose another colour. Soon, your mind is off whatever you were thinking about.

I find the best environment for me to do this is not a completely silent one. When I seek emptying my mind, I usually do it outside. I find that nature and her sounds are comforting and help to clear away bad thoughts by focusing on them.

For me listening to music seems to keep my mind off of things. Watching tv-shows or playing videogames do as well. In general try doing something that you enjoy!

Try to focus on something positive, or engage in a very demanding activity for your brain, such as word puzzles, sudoku, learning a language... something that can take your full attention! it works for me , I am currently studying 5 different languages! It works miracles

while there is no 'button to push' to deactivate our thoughts, of course we can create the right associations to help you. the things you do will have a dramatic effect on how you feel; perhaps listening to calming music, and being in a peaceful area with minimal distractions would probably help you! Moments of extended silence allows the brain to start overthinking, so fill up your time with something that will distract you! :)

You must be stressed. Take one thing at a time. Nothing can be too bad. Life has so much more to offer.

Try to Keep it busy, indulge in something else that may interest you and say "All is Well"! That might help at times. :)

It can be frustrating when we feel that we have things that so urgently need resolution that we can't be bothered to let our mind go until they are resolved. But let me tell you something about what happens when you sleep. When you sleep, your brain takes all the experiences you've had during the day and compiles them, and compares them to all the other experiences you've had in your life. It mashes them all up and sorts through them. And in this way, of making connections between all your past and present experiences, your my synthesizes your experience into the "whole you" that is your brain. By allowing yourself to sleep, you allow this important process to take place. As for how to do it, it can take practice. But there are some techniques you can use. One I like is where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 8, then breathe out for 7. Then repeat. This can help relax you and ease your mind into a state of restfulness. Another technique is to simply "have a talk" with your mind. Thank it for all it's done for you today, and ask it to please continue to work on your troubles as you fall asleep. Then, you can fall asleep knowing that your mind is still working for you, and helping you, and that you may wake up in the morning with a greater understanding of whatever problems you might have faced the previous day.