7 Ways to Power Down a Busy Mind: A Woman’s Guide Back To Sanity
Posted on April 05, 2015 by Ivana Pejakovic, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
The good news is you’re not doomed to live with a noisy mind. If you’re willing to put in some effort and be persistent, you can change your thoughts.
What type of thoughts do you have a hard time getting out of your head? Thoughts of worry, fear, embarrassment, shame, guilt, and indecision are the most common. These thoughts aren’t productive and are always destructive. It’s this kind of mental activity that leads to anxiety, deep sadness, and overall stress.
The good news is you’re not doomed to live with a noisy mind. If you’re willing to put in some effort and be persistent, you can change your thoughts.
Here are 7 healthy tips to help you get out of your own head. Depending on your situation, different tips will be more helpful than others… but the more you combine all the tips, the better you’ll do.
1. FIND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE THOUGHTS. This step is a must. What’s really worrying you? Whatever you’re thinking about is not the root cause, it’s the trigger. I guarantee you there’s an underlying cause that makes this so difficult for you. Find it. If you don’t take this step, other tips may only be a quick fix.
2. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Women generally let their thoughts roam (and that’s how one negative thought leads to another) instead of taking control and directing their thoughts. Remember that you are not at complete mercy to your thoughts. Don’t let your mind run wild. Give it direction.
3. REMOVE TEMPTATION. Certain places or activities are toxic to begin with and they’ll naturally trigger negative thoughts. If you can avoid these places (e.g., going to casino, toxic workplace, judgmental family members) then do so. Don’t put yourself in psychologically distressing situations.
4. FACE THE PROBLEM HEAD ON. Stop avoiding situations that need to be dealt with. Some things are difficult in life (e.g., facing conflict, embarrassment, fixing our poor choices), that doesn’t mean you don’t have to face them. Chances are you’re exaggerating how bad it’ll be anyways (Read more about this in my 10 things you don’t know about yourself post to find out how likely your mind is to exaggerate).
5. USE A JOURNAL AS A TOOL. Use a journal to help you. Write about how in control you are of your thoughts and how you’ll feel when you are in complete control over them. Focus on your hand writing and don’t write the same thing over and over again because your mind will go on autopilot and your mind will wander. Write new sentences that require thinking so you don’t have much mental activity left for the same old thoughts. This will help retrain your mind to think of more positive things.
6. HANG OUT WITH A POSITIVE CROWD. I know you’ve heard this one before. A positive crowd is not just about hanging out with people who laugh all the time and avoid dealing with issues. I’m talking about a crowd who knows how to deal with life’s issues in a healthy way, who doesn’t sit down to complain about problems but is solution-focused instead. A social group like this can give you hope and encouragement which is exactly what you need when you feel trapped by your thoughts.
7. UNPLUG YOUR HEADPHONES. It’s trendy to go on a walk, to work out, and even drive a car while listening to headphones. Headphones allow you to stay stuck in your head because you tune out your senses. Instead, redirect your attention to what your body senses in your surroundings.