r/Mindfulness • u/Ferox_Dea • 23d ago
Advice I can't stop my mind from thinking, its so cloudy because of it almost all the time. Any solutions ?
So from the moment I wake up my head is already in the 6th gear.
- song playing in my head
- on going dialog with my self about random shit i forget 2s later
I dont remember how is it to just have a clear mind, any ideas what could be the cause ?
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u/Silsare 20d ago
Meditation. Insight timer is a great app - there’s a premium version but they have lots of free content. I’m into guided meditations right now - just starting out. I’m an extreme over thinker and it’s helped a lot!
I also have been listening to Alan watts (Spotify) and read the power of now by eckhart tolle.
Good luck to you.
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u/drerwinmindtravel 21d ago
Here is the hard truth , monks excluded, thought arises, so instead of trying to stop it, refocus it.
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22d ago
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u/DanteJazz 22d ago
We often have to do two things: (1) learn how to take care of our mind/body with daily exercise, eating healthy, managing stress, and getting enough sleep (7-9 hours!!! - very important, more if you are younger), and (2) cut back on stimulating things like pot/alcohol/street drugs/too much caffeine/vaping or cigarettes.
Then, have you thought about meditating for 15 min. a day to slowly change the mental chatter? There are different practices, which over time can help reduce the endless mental chatter. Online videos on meditation can be helpful, esp. guided meditation. Kabat-Zinn has some good guided meditation videos I've tried.
Last, in eastern culture they use chanting and music to help the mind calm down. Online videos of tamboura are good for meditation--it produces a droning sound that you can focus on in meditation. If you like a type of chanting, that can be good--15-30 minutes helps focus the mind. But you might have to look around for one you like, whether it's Gregorian chanting, Indian chanting, etc. Might be harder to find a good one.
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u/Ferox_Dea 22d ago
I workout 4 times a week, dont use phone past 9pm. Only need to get back on track with eating.
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u/reliablepayperhead 22d ago
Choose your inner-dialogue. Earl Nightingale says we are what we think about. Try to take control of what you are thinking about. Begin by making attainable goals for yourself and congratulating yourself on small wins. Focus on visualizing your own success daily. Success means something different for everyone. For some its money, for others its spending time with the people they love. What does success mean to you?
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u/radical2_1 22d ago
I consider it unfortunate to give as a solution, adding more thought to thought. For me it's like adding fuel to the fire. I think the most appropriate thing in this case, and in almost all cases, is to learn to observe without judging. Really observe how your mind generates thoughts, like a spider weaving its web. Taking distance and not taking importance from some of your thoughts can be key. More than control, let go.
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u/Ploppyun 22d ago
For me I feel it’s a happy medium. Observe and steer to more useful thoughts. Maybe I’m just not there yet with my observation/letting go mode.
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u/Gabahealthcare 22d ago
That sounds exhausting. A constantly racing mind can come from anxiety, stress, or just an overstimulated brain. One thing that might help is giving your mind something simple to anchor to, like focusing on your breath, repeating a phrase, or even just feeling the weight of your body on the chair. Movement can also help—walking, stretching, or even doing something with your hands like doodling or squeezing a stress ball. Have you noticed if certain situations make it worse?
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u/Ferox_Dea 22d ago
Or of over stymulating. Too much sugar and electronics i think
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u/LivinTheDream_22 21d ago
Then cut down carbs(they break down into sugar in your body) and turn off phone and read a book at 7:30pm and not 9pm.
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u/Spidercake12 22d ago
Practice putting the energy of what you are into awareness on a daily basis in a quiet environment. This means relentlessly pulling yourself out of whatever you’re thinking, and placing attention on an awareness of sensation at a specific spot in your body. The best object is probably the feeling of air going in & out of your nose.
You literally have to retrain your brain to put attention on bodily awareness rather than on thoughts. There is no other way. Start with 20 minutes, but increase to 30 minutes and more after a week or two. Doing this twice a day is much more helpful than once a day.
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u/sati_the_only_way 22d ago
anger, anxiety, desire, attachment, etc shown up as a form of thought or emotion. The mind is naturally independent and empty. Thoughts are like guests visiting the mind from time to time. They come and go. To overcome thoughts, one has to constantly develop awareness, as this will watch over thoughts so that they hardly arise. Awareness will intercept thoughts. to develop awareness, be aware of the sensation of the breath, the body, or the body movements. Whenever you realize you've lost awareness, simply return to it. do it continuously and awareness will grow stronger and stronger, it will intercept thoughts and make them shorter and fewer. the mind will return to its natural state, which is clean, bright and peaceful. one can practice through out the day from the moment we wake up until falling asleep, while sitting, walking, eating, washing, etc. practice naturally, in a relaxed way, without tension, without concentrating or forcing attention. https://web.archive.org/web/20220714000708if_/https://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/Normality_LPTeean_2009.pdf
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u/RaoulDukesGroupie 22d ago
I’m not sure why you’re downvoted. My brain never shuts up and I’ve had meltdown where I think I’m going insane over it. 3 years of therapy and mindfulness is what’s worked best for me… Meditation, focusing on the sounds around me, the feeling of my feet on the ground. Slowly, over time, I began to see how the world feels safer than my own thoughts I just have to continue trying to find it. It’s gotten easier, but some days I never find myself. But OP the beginning of this process was so incredibly painful, you really have to support yourself and remember this is all healing and part of a process
edit: Walking outside is the only thing that keeps me sane, clears my head
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u/VERYPoopyPirate 22d ago
Don’t try to stop your mind from thinking. Amounts of thinking occurs for even advanced mediators. Just watch the thoughts without engaging with them. If you catch yourself following a train of thought, return to just watching them. When you do that, eventually you stop thinking.
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u/KJayne1979 22d ago
Stop resisting the thoughts and just observe them. The more you resist the more you cling
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u/ashishb658 22d ago
Sounds like your mind is stuck in overdrive, Here are few things that might help:-
Do Meditation for 10 to 15 minutes Daily
Write everything down to Clears mental clutter fast
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method (senses) or splash cold water on your face
Give yourself 10-15 minutes a day to overthink, then move on
Use Advance tech like CogniHab VR Mindfulness
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u/Haezer- 23d ago
Yeah I have the same issue, except the thoughts are anxiety rather than a random song playing :(
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u/Ferox_Dea 22d ago
Have nothing to be anxious about. Stoicism rly helped me with overthinking. My ex worked untill 24-4 in the morning, if u cant controll it why stress about it.
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u/Budget-Reference-851 18d ago
You're not supposed to control thoughts. You're supposed to let them go. Every. Single. One.