Does this sound like you? You are a professional woman or an entrepreneur, you have an ever-growing to do list, and your mind is always active, running on with thoughts of everything you need to do during the day, week or month. You feel like your mind is running away from you, but you are not able to catch up to it. Your stress levels continuously increase and you are not able to quiet your mind to get a good night’s sleep or relax with friends, and as a result your health suffers.
What if I told you that there are ways to quiet an overactive mind? Yes, these methods will take some practice and time to learn, but ultimately they will allow you to find some peace of mind and keep your sanity in check.
Journaling
Grab your favorite notebook or journal along with a special pen, find a quiet place, pour yourself a soothing cup of tea or coffee, open the journal and put pen to paper. Allow your thoughts to just come out onto the paper. Do not censor anything. You are not making a list of what needs to be done, but rather creating an empty space in your mind to clear away the constant jumble. You are writing a stream of consciousness where everything you are thinking is going onto the paper, thus freeing your mind from the stress. By learning to journal on a daily basis, even if only for 5 minutes, you will learn to release yourself from the constant jumble.
Meditation
This used to be the realm of the religious, but meditation has become more and more commonplace as practitioners are realizing the soothing and relaxing benefits. Much like journaling, meditation takes time to learn to do right and to truly shut down your mind. With regular practice, and some good apps, you can learn to quiet the mind, allowing you to be open to what can be called “divine downloads” where you get knowledge of what your role truly is. Meditation allows you to spend anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes in a state of rest, closed off from the “real world” and open to what is going on inside of you.
Yoga
For years Yoga has been identified as exercise for meditation. In most yoga practices, you go through the movements, or asanas, in a slow, purposeful pace. Due to the movements, it allows you to meditate as you work on your flexibility, strength and stamina. Each pose has a purpose, and as you develop proper technique, you also gain more sense of self as well.
Running/Hiking
Do you like the outdoors? What about being alone in it? One excellent way to clear the overactive mind is to get outdoors and take a hike or go for a run. Both of these allow you to get wonderful exercise for the body, but also for the mind. You have to focus on what you are doing, so you are not able to focus on what is running through your mind. The repetitive movements help you release your stress, release endorphins and get exercise at the same time. They are both soul clearing. As with yoga, both running and hiking can be meditative.
Walking on the Beach
Have you ever taken a walk on the beach? Did you know that just walking in the sand, or sitting on the beach listening to the waves is soothing and relaxing? In fact, many people purchase sound wave machines that make the sound of waves washing on the beach. This sound can be more meditative than any other. The act of digging your toes in the sand, listening to the waves, hearing the cries of the seagulls flying overhead and just tuning out the rest of the world is a great way to clear the mind. It allows your mind to calm down, and stop running for a time. Spending an hour in the evening, maybe at sunset, taking in the colors of the sky changing from day blue to dusk yellows, oranges, reds, and more, can truly sooth the overactive mind. Why not even do yoga on the beach for a double relaxing time.
Sound Machines
Since this was brought up already, getting a sound machine that has sounds such as the waves on the beach, birds singing in the breeze, a rainfall in a jungle or even the sounds of a waterfall could help relax and quiet the mind. These machines play “white noise” which blocks out the everyday sounds and can pull your mind away from what it is thinking. Play the machine at night to relax you and help you fall into a quiet, deep sleep. These machines are also good for meditation, by quieting the mind and pulling you deeper into the meditation. Have you noticed that when you go for a massage, a majority of offices will have something like this playing in the background to relax you, even before the massage begins?
Massage
Getting a massage can be extremely relaxing and soothing. From the time you are on the table, with a practiced massage therapist, or even a good friend, you are pulled into a sense of calm and soothing. A good massage will relax not only the body but the mind as well. It will remove all of the stress, knots, and even center the body and mind. Give yourself a treat of an hour or more therapeutic massage and allow yourself to feel all the stress pull away from your body. This will also help clear the mind and allow it to shut down at least for a short time.
The above 7 forms of relaxation are just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone has their way or ways that work best for them. These are just a few to get you started. Try them and find what works best for you. You may even come up with some of your own. Once you have found something that works for you, please let us know what it is and how it relaxes you. We love to hear from you, and know that others will benefit from your research into how to quiet your mind
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