I'm stressed out and when I try to go to sleep I can't shut off my thoughts. What should I do?

I would look into mindfullness meditation. It will help you to slow down your mind before you go to bed at night. It has worked wonders for me.

LIsten to some sleep music. You can find plenty of free sleep music on Youtube. It will help drown out your thoughts and allow you to sleep easier. If you are stressing about tomorrow, tell yourself that there is nothing you can do about tomorrow while in bed in the middle of the night, and leave tomorrow worries for tomorrow.

I'm familiar with this one - the body is asleep but there are monkeys in the mind! I usually try to get a shower, make my bed, and set to meditate mindfully for 5 minutes. First, I find myself in a comfortable position. Then, I focus on legs, feeling all the tiredness, the lethargy and the heaviness. I remain still, and aware. Then, I shift my focus to my torso, and then my chest, being aware of my breathing. I will inhale from my nose, as I feel my belly expanding. I also exhale from my nose, as my stomach in. By now, time usually feels expanded, or I get very sleepy. To continue, I move on to be aware of other parts of my body, till I reach the top of my head. Then, I will focus on my breathing. I will note the sensations and thoughts that appear, labeling it as 'tiredness, tiredness' or 'feed my dog, feed my dog' or 'worry, worry' and then I let it go. If it wants to linger, I can label it as 'desire, desire' or, 'attachment, attachment' and let the thought our sensation runs it's course. This is great self-therapy and a peaceful practise. Try it!

This often happens to me when I'm stressed about the future, so I often journal to try to get my thoughts on paper. I also stick to a very struck sleep routine so as to sooth my brain.

I highly recommend quietly listening to podcasts, radio, or any other talk radio kind of show. I usually play something on my iphone, and when I start to fade I turn it off. For a more organic approach visualization can be used. Try visualizing how your day will go tomorrow, think of all the most positive outcomes.

i would recommend an audio book. find a topic you are interested in, so you get absorbed in the narration. then close your eyes and focus on the reader's voice. there's a app called Overdrive that gives access to free audio books from libraries near you. You can download the mp3 files for a book into your phone, so you can access the book offline as well.

Try some relaxation methods to take your mind off of things. I usually try to read something quite uninteresting in a dim light and eventually my brain starts responding by feeling tired.

you could try exercising. it's a great way to relax, get all that stress out and then get a good night's sleep.

I'm really bad at this, ive tried everthing camomile tea, relaxing music, trying to clear my mind or count. I know its not the best outcome but if I really can't sleep my last resort which really isn't very often is two phenergan tablets there drowsy antihistamines so not addictive or very strong I know I'll feel a lot better and less stressed after a good night sleep

Turning and twisting in your bed will create negative association to your bed- it's a place where you can't sleep. So go up and try again later when you feel sleepy.