Calming Your Busy Mind

Rebecca Lewis March 06, 2015

We all juggle with many tasks and responsibilities on a daily basis that it somehow became impossible to find time for relaxation and solitude – two things we greatly need to instil peace of mind. All our to-do lists often give us a hard time and drain our energy, so we lose the time to do things we really enjoy and keep us motivated.

Coping with Busyness

If you’re looking forward to a less stressed version of you, you need to reduce the busyness of your mind. Interestingly, as we do more, we tend to accomplish less. Studies have shown that as we multitask, our brains don’t actually do the same thing at once, it’s basically changing rapidly between tasks. This results to slower and sloppier work, higher stress levels, and ultimately, unhappiness.

So instead of multitasking, try these more helpful approaches:

Do one task at a time. When you are getting dressed, try not to eat your breakfast at the same time. When you are cooking, just cook and try not to check your emails whilst preparing your meal. When working, avoid peeking on your Facebook account. When going out with friends, try not to do other things like chatting with your social media friends.

Screen your thoughts. Not all of your thoughts are useful. So be mindful of what comes to your mind. Don’t think that just because a negative scenario suddenly came to your mind doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Most of our thoughts are counterintuitive. And becoming more aware of them gives you choices. Sure, you might still have a problem to solve. But there are undoubtedly better ways to solve it than to fret about it. Worrying too much makes you more stressed and put a lot of strain on your mind. So instead of being mindful you become “mind full”.

Have fun! Doing activities you enjoy is imperative if you ever want to have a well-balanced lifestyle. Let your mind focus on fun instead of trivial items that way beyond your control. You’ll find that your thought patterns will change drastically when you are doing things you enjoy.

Start a journal. One way to reduce the busyness of your mind is to start a journal. You can release the constant flow of thoughts by transferring them into a sheet of paper. Write it down – your problems, worries, plans, to-do lists, and so on. This activity is a simple outlet to help eliminate the clutter in your mind.

Connect with nature. Always find time to connect with nature. Whether it’s taking a long walk in the woods or in the beach, being immersed in nature gives you peace of mind. And whilst interacting with nature, try not to think about your everyday life – work, home, finances, etc. Instead, focus on appreciating every detail that you see around – the leaves, trees, animals, flowers, and the fresh air touching your skin. Nature is a slice of heaven.

Exercise. They say that a healthy body is a healthy mind. If you make exercise a regular routine, you will realise that it can offer great benefits to your mental health. Studies also show that physical activity cam greatly help you de-stress.

Live in the “now”. If you start living in the now, you will never struggle with an overactive mind. Living in the now involves not being occupied with the thought of past events, or being overwhelmed or anxious about what the future brings. Living in the now is more of a realisation that the past cannot change and the future hasn’t occurred yet, so there’s no better way to go than to be fully present in the moment.

An overactive mind is a sign of imbalance, which needs attention. If your body needs rest, then so does your mind. And these tips mentioned above are just among the great ways to calm your busy mind.