Sometimes, we get so fixated over something or someone that we start singing “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You” like Sting. It starts taking over & as a result, you can’t relax & enjoy the rest of your life. In such cases, some Ways to Get Your Mind Off can be helpful.
While you can’t just utter some spells & use magic to get your mind off something, there are some simple yet effective things you can do that can help you to forget about the things that are creating commotion in your mind.
Ways to Get Your Mind Off
1. Try To Distract Yourself
Some researchers state that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. If you are not occupied actually doing something, your mind wanders. Consequently, your mind is more likely to get trapped in something negative.
You can stop this from happening by simply distracting yourself. Try to think about different distraction activities you can use in different circumstances: some that you can use at the workplace, some you can use while outside & some for those late-night thoughts while trying to sleep. You can try the followings:
- Playing a game.
- Reading a book or magazine.
- Watching a movie or TV show.
- Solving a crossword puzzle or sudoku.
- Talk to a friend or loved one.
- Exercise.
2. Question Whatever You Are Thinking
One of the greatest Ways to Get Your Mind Off something is by questioning them. However, questioning your own thoughts may sound a bit crazy. Not all our thoughts are useful, so taking your inner monologue with a healthy amount of doubt is reasonable.
One of the best questions you can ask when you think about those things again is: “Is this thought useful?” If it isn’t, there’s no point repeating it. Some other questions can be:
- Do I have any proof that this thought is true/false?
- What would you suggest if someone were in the same situation & thought the same way?
- Are there some alternative explanations for this situation?
- Will this matter one day, one week, or one month from now?
3. Meditate
Meditation can be a great answer to the question, How to Stop Thinking About Something? Often we can’t stop thinking about something, someone, or some events because our mind wanders restlessly. Practicing meditation can help you control & channel your restless mind & make it calmer. Meditation brings many benefits, including physical & mental.
By controlling your mind to be present & by focusing on your breath, you can break the flow of compulsive thinking. Moreover, meditation helps to keep you in the present, & when we can’t stop thinking about something particular, we are often in the past or future, certainly not in the present.
4. Write About Things On Your Mind
Grab a piece of paper or open a Word document, write the date & start writing down or typing every thought swarming on your mind. Here are some of the benefits you can get by doing this:
- Noting down your thoughts forces you to challenge them in an organized way.
- It allows you to better analyze the issues without getting distracted.
- Noting things down can stop them from creating chaos in your head. Think of this as clearing the RAM of your PC. If you’ve written them down, you can safely forget them & start with a blank slate.
- It helps you to look back at your struggles accurately. In a few months, you can look back at your notepad or Word document & assess your progress.
5. Try To Find A Solution
One of the challenges of being stuck in some thought is that it feels like you are trying to find a solution by going over it again & again. However, you won’t find a real solution by just recalling those negative thoughts & feelings.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is intentionally focus on finding a solution. Consider having brainstorming seasons & assessing their pros & cons. Finding the details about the pros & cons will help you to find a real & executable solution.
6. Talk To Someone You Trust
Instead of trying to handle the problem all by yourself, talk to someone you trust. A friend, a family member, a loved one, a colleague, or a mentor. Although we think in simple ways, our thoughts are more like chaotic word clouds.
By adding emotions into the mix, you can create a perfect mess. By putting these thoughts into words & uttering them out loud, you are bringing some order & clarity into the mess.
Talking to someone you trust about what’s on your mind is often a great way to get those things sorted. Even if you don’t find out Ways to Get Your Mind Off those things, you’ll at least find some comfort in knowing that someone cares about you.
7. Go For Counseling Or Therapy
Having a negative thought stuck in your head for too long can cause serious issues like stress or depression. Therefore, it’s vital to treat this with utmost concern. If you can’t get something off your mind, it’s a good idea to consider counseling or therapy.
A therapist or counselor can help you to have a new perspective on your problems. When you have thought about something for a long period, it may seem that you have considered every aspect of it. However, there can be parts of the problem that you are intuitively ignoring & a professional can help you to cast light on those parts.
More frequently, these problems are easy to identify for a person looking from the outside instead of your inside view.
Start Getting Your Mind Off That Particular Thing
The bottom line is that when dealing with Ways to Get Your Mind Off something, you will likely find it a demanding task that requires a lot of effort & dedication. However, that is not to imply that it is an impossible task.
Once you identify the root of your inclination to think about that one thing, you can then work to implement methods that will work effectively to shift your focus to more essential, & meaningful things.
Whether that be spending quality time with family or friends, dedicating more time to hobbies you love, exercising, or only discussing your issues or journaling, there are many other ways to take. Not only will these tips help get your mind off what you are trying not to think about, but they can offer you a generally better & more tranquil state of mind altogether.
FAQs
Q: Can overthinking be a reason for being unable to take my mind off something?
A: Overthinking & inability to take your mind off something go hand-in-hand. You can find them often futile, off-putting & damaging.
Q: Unlike positive ones, why negative thinking comes back over & over again?
A: It is in our human nature to expect the worst. We are more likely to fear negative things rather than cherish positive ones.
Q: How to identify such problems?
A: When you notice you are being overly fixated over something, can’t focus on your daily life, and always have anxiety or feelings of negativity, you are having that problem.
