Quieting the mind

I'm not certain whether or not this topic belongs in health and well being or not so I just posted it here. My apologies if it is inappropriate for this area of the forum.

Anyway, I have a very busy mind. I have often described my thought process as a man in a cave surrounded by confetti. Each strip of paper is a separate thought. I find this particularly troublesome at the day's end when I need my rest. Thoughts of the day, the day to come and flights of fancy pour into my head. My mind races and I can't fall asleep as quickly as I'd like. It usually takes me hours, until I'm completely exhausted.

So I turn to you, friends and fellow Jedi, how do you focus on nothing? How do you quiet your mind and promote relaxation? Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Let go of what happened earlier in the day and relax. I know this is easier said than done, so I would recommend meditation. It's a great way to quiet the mind and will help promote relaxation. Instead of thinking about what happened earlier in your day or what's going to happen tomorrow...think about what you're doing now. Worry pretends to be necessary but does absolutely nothing to help you.

In regards to trying to focus on nothing...don't try. Just accept each thought as it arises then simply let it go. Breathe in deep through your nose and slowly out your mouth. This will help you relax as well.

I'm sure that other Jedi will offer excellent advice to you. Good luck and I genuinely hope this helps.

Krieger wrote: I'm not certain whether or not this topic belongs in health and well being or not so I just posted it here. My apologies if it is inappropriate for this area of the forum.

Anyway, I have a very busy mind. I have often described my thought process as a man in a cave surrounded by confetti. Each strip of paper is a separate thought. I find this particularly troublesome at the day's end when I need my rest. Thoughts of the day, the day to come and flights of fancy pour into my head. My mind races and I can't fall asleep as quickly as I'd like. It usually takes me hours, until I'm completely exhausted.

So I turn to you, friends and fellow Jedi, how do you focus on nothing? How do you quiet your mind and promote relaxation? Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

I, too, recommend meditation, but not as a means for relaxing at the end of the day. It's best to do meditation when your mind is fresh. You'll find that regular meditation sessions will, over time, give you the skill to quiet your thought process before it becomes overwhelming. I would do regular sitting mediation sessions with a focus on breathing and acceptance of the thought process. Many of us here use an app called Insight Meditation Timer. Comes with tons of guided meditations to get you started. Start with a 10 minute session a day and work the time up to 25-30 minutes per session. It takes about 8 weeks for meditation to have a measurably positive effect on you mind. Meditation is a permanent thing, it's not a short-term solution.

As for immediate relief and better sleep - as a former insomniac I'd say try the following:

- make sure you're in bed by 10 every night and get up between 5:30 and 6 (a great time to do your daily meditation session, btw). Keeping a strict sleep routine is the first step to improve sleep quality

- don't use computer screens or mobile phones after 8:30-9 p.m. they're scientifically proven to mess with your sleep as they emit blue light, which pushes the body into high-alert mode.

- half an hour before going to bed, do some relaxation exercises. E.g. autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation etc. - just do some googling and find one you're comfortable with.

After this, prepare for bed, read a good book and after a few days or weeks you'll be enjoying much improved sleep quality.

Great question Krieger. I have a couple of questions for you: do you exercise daily? how early do you wake up? how active is your job or schooling? what is your nutrition like? do you find yourself on the computer or on your phone close to bed time?

There are many factors that may play into why you find yourself up late at night. The recommendations for meditation are great, I too recommend a daily practice to train your mind. Yet, there may be other factors keeping your body active.

I'll share my daily routine; not because you need to follow exactly what I do, but because I too use to be a night owl and now find myself soundly asleep around 9:30 or 10 each night.

I wake up at 5:30 every morning. 7 on weekends.
I meditate for 5 to 10 minutes. Mediation does not need to be a long drawn out process when beginning the practice.
I exercise for an hour. P90X for me, though any form of exercise will help.
I take a shower, drink my first juice, and head to work. I sit at work but keep my mind active.
I go home for lunch--I know, I'm lucky--drink my 2nd juice of the day and meditate again for 5-10 minutes
Then, back to work.
After work I am home with my family, relaxing (key), with a wholesome meal for dinner.
Perhaps we will read or watch something on the TV once our son is down for the night.
My wife and I meditate again 5-10 minutes before I am off to bed around 10.

I've focused on my nutrition and have noticed a remarkable difference in my body's nervous activity levels. The exercise keeps me active while giving me a reason to rise early and get it out of the way. By time the day is done I am ready for bed and couldn't stay up late if I wanted it (normally). All in all, I would recommend finding an outlet for your energy before you feel the need to lay down.

Hope this helps.

My mind is like a blender on high.

I sit in a quiet place and write down all the thoughts that come into mind until they stop.

Taking a nap helps or a very very very long walk.

I try to perpetually be aware...

I try to be aware of everything, and when the moment is done, I try to 'close' it...

Ive done the best I can, I cant take it back, so if something needs my attention, I will attend to it when it nexts needs me, or I have some free time to deal with it...

I do often times playback conversations, looking for meaning, intentions, but, usually, I can do that while doing a 'mindless' activity...

Usually 'watching tv', as I seldom am really 'watching', more like using it for a visual hypnosis talisman, lol... Or background noise as I surf the net...

Good luck to you...

My mind races, but so does my body.

I move all day.

From the moment I wake up, to the point that I go to sleep I fill my day.

My focus moves with it.

It is not idle "business".

I am working, I am spending time with my family, martial arts, even in front of the T.V. I am stretching, squatting( the resting position, I am a huge fan of Movnat and movement culture), and the myriad of various projects I am working on, from books to be read, one I am writing, art, etc, etc, etc.

I think people would be surprised just how much of what I fit into an average day.

I sleep about 5 hours a night, sometimes less, and not because I cant sleep more, but because I am doing that much stuff.

Five is what I truly need to stay at a good healthy energy level.

The other 19 hours I fill up.

I dont have idle thoughts, or, at least, none that take up too much of my focus, as I am focused on what I am doing.

The mind usually is running when the body has been idle.

I eat right, get plenty of physical exercise( the state of your body has much to do with how your mind works) and keep an exceedingly busy lifestyle.

Sleep is no problem at the end of my day. Actually, I work nights, so I get to sleep at about 8 in the morning.

I think a lot of people have a problem sleeping, etc, because there not doing enough in there day.

Idle thoughts and idle time to think them...

Khoas you sound young? I remember my energy being like that in my late teens and early twenties.

Id like to consider 35 young.

So yes, yes, I am.

I also do not like to use age as an excuse, or crutch.

I know people older than me who do as much if not more.

I get inspired by them.

Energy levels and active lifestyle is not age dependent.

Anyway, I have a very busy mind. I have often described my thought process as a man in a cave surrounded by confetti. Each strip of paper is a separate thought. I find this particularly troublesome at the day's end when I need my rest. Thoughts of the day, the day to come and flights of fancy pour into my head. My mind races and I can't fall asleep as quickly as I'd like. It usually takes me hours, until I'm completely exhausted.

I know exactly what this is like. As a kid I was very self conscious so I lived in my head, the outcome of this however was the inability to process anything properly.. I'd have thousands of thoughts all fighting each other, and I dealt with it by talking to myself, which became a compulsion. The more frustrated I got, the more I talked to myself, and the more I talked to myself, the more frustrated I got, and my inner head meanwhile wasn't getting any clearer.

Unlike some of the other posters, meditation has never helped it for me because I could never ever bring my focus enough. I do however, like yoga. You have to focus on the movement at hand otherwise you fall over, so while you're doing that, all those horrible messy thoughts go quiet because you're concentrating. Yoga over the past year has helped immensely with shutting my mind up, as has being much more aware, as Jestor said, about stuff I'm doing. Try and be 'in the moment' with whatever you're doing. I won't pretend it's easy for people like us in the beginning, it's not, it's hard, but with practice you can get those thoughts to reduce.

In the past year (and Jestor will attest to this I'm sure having read all of my rantings) I've gone from crazy and frustrated and angry with my head, to reasonably alright and normal. I've not managed to shut my mind up completely, and I still talk to myself a lot more than the average person I'm sure, but I can function without frustration and with the occasional feeling of peace. It is possible.

If you want to discuss it in any more detail, feel free to send me a message.