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

It sounds like you are having a tough time and I'm sorry for that. Sometimes breathing exercises help, you might consider completing the anxiety module in the Self-Help Guides under "My Path," towards the end there are some breathing exercises. You can also try doing a guided meditation for sleep on Youtube, there are a ton of them and you can probably find one you like. This might help you quite your mind. Another trick I learned is the "Legs-up-the-wall" yoga pose, I used to do this every night before I went to bed for 10 minutes while working on my breathing and practicing quieting my mind. You can also do a guided meditation during this time. Take care of you!

Meditation! Calming your mind and relaxation are the best remedies for an overworking brain!

I always found that writing down everything that your thinking about allows the brain to start to destress and then once you have it wrote down you can deal with every thought the next day and you know it won't be forgotten so you will find it easier to put the thought to the back of your mind for the moment

You could try to write down all of your feelings and thoughts on a peice of paper before you go to bed

Try taking a walk, write in a journal away from the TV or catch a yoga class. Physical activity can help to release tension and journaling can give the mind a space to empty. The mind can and will run unruly when under stress but with practice, the mind can be re-trained to be still.

try the technique of yoga nidra...

Try to picture yourself in a calming place. Gradually relax each part of your body, starting from your toes and working your way upwards. Perhaps try some quiet music or a white noise machine. If your stress is really affecting you so much though, you may want to try and talk to someone about the actual reasons behind it. There's no point treating the symptoms while leaving the root cause.

You could listen to some soft and soothing music and try to think of something or someone that makes you happy.

Reading a good book helps. =) In my opinion it really is nice to relax with a nice book with great story.

have you tried writing your thoughts down, the things that are stressing you out? so you know you won't forget them, and can come back to them in the morning.