If you’re an overthinker, worrier, or perfectionist, you probably love the idea of relaxation but hate that it doesn’t come naturally to you. Maybe the hardest part about self-care isn’t letting your body relax, but rather figuring out how to quiet your mind.
Ever since I was young, I’ve sought out ways to keep myself entertained. My mom used to say I couldn’t sit still for five minutes because I had to be doing something. Even now when I’m watching Netflix or going for a walk, I find myself tempted to scroll through my phone to keep my mind occupied.

Most of us seek out constant stimulation because we don’t want to feel bored, but that only makes it harder for us to relax. The need for stimulation means that your brain doesn’t know how to shut off, so it wanders from one thing to the other on random tangents.
Before you know it, you’re worrying about something that wasn’t even an issue five minutes ago. All of this leaves you feeling mentally burned out and exhausted.
So when your mind is busy, how do you make it shut up? I could tell you to take a bath or go for a walk, but we all know that won’t exactly stop your mind from chattering at you. Instead, here are ten things to try when you want to quiet your busy mind.
10 Ways to Quiet Your Mind
1. Exercise
Obviously there are physical benefits to exercise, but it can also do wonders for your mind. Getting out of your head and into your body is a helpful way to direct any scattered energy to a different place. Interval sprints or walks, weight-lifting, kickboxing, and dance all force you to focus in different ways. Though I love yoga and pilates, I do find the slower nature of them can cause me to start thinking about my to-do list again.
2. Meditate
You knew this one was coming, right? Meditation is so important for anyone who lives in their own head because it encourages you to sit still without reacting to your thoughts. Though meditation is difficult in the moment, your head will feel calmer after you’ve done it. Try a guided bodyscan meditation which will shift your focus to your body, rather than your thoughts.
Learn how to start a meditation practice here.
3. Write a List
Write down every little thing that’s floating through your head. The to-dos, worries, calls to make, emails to respond to – write it all down so you can see it in front of you. Then use the Ivy Lee method and write down your six most important tasks in order of importance and work on each one until they’re all complete.
Read this post to learn how to declutter your mind with the brain dump method.
4. Make or Create Something
I find that making or creating something is an amazing way to quiet your mind. Though I love eating more than cooking, following a new recipe and trying to successfully make it can distract my mind and give it a break. There are times when I don’t want to spend a ton of time making a meal, but there are other times when it can come in handy when you need to focus on something else.
5. Declutter Your Space
Your physical environment can have a huge impact on your mental state. While it doesn’t affect some people, I’m someone who feels more stressed out when the space around me is messy. If you feel the same way, get rid of things you don’t need, organize those piles, and clean the parts of your home that you haven’t touched in who knows how long.
Learn how to create a peaceful space around you in this post.
6. Share What’s on Your Mind
Nothing good comes from dwelling on your thoughts and keeping them locked up in your head. If you have something on your mind that you want to stop rehashing, get it out. Write it down in a journal, talk about it on Instagram stories for anyone who will listen, or talk out loud to yourself (we all do it, don’t pretend like you don’t ?).
7. Read a Fiction Book
When I read non-fiction books, my mind tends to go into overdrive with any new concepts I’m learning. Thoughts like, “How can I put what I’m learning to use?” or “I’ve been doing this all wrong and I need to makeover my life ASAP” can cause me to want to act right away, even though I already have a crazy to-do list. Fiction (especially those cheesy romance novels) allows your mind to escape from the real world for a little while.
8. Make an Action Plan
If you’re worried about how you’re going to get everything done in the next few weeks, make yourself a plan. Identify what needs to get done, how long it will take, and when you’re going to do it. Then set a start and finish date. Having a plan gives your mind a break from thinking about how you’re going to fit it all into your schedule.
Here’s how to plan out action steps for goals and projects.
9. Get Away From Your Phone
When your mind is restless, it’s easy to think that scrolling on the internet will provide an escape. There are definitely ways to make this happen if you’re intentionally following and staying on sites that make you feel calm, but most of the time the content we consume can lead to more overwhelm and overthinking. If you need to calm your mind down, take a break from your phone.
Want a healthier relationship with social media? Here are 5 tips to make it happen.
10. Force Yourself to Focus
Sometimes you need to focus, but your mind just won’t let you. When that happens, you have to force yourself to get into the zone. Here are some things to do when you need to focus:
- Use the Pomodoro technique to focus on the task at hand for 25 minutes and then take a break
- Put your phone on airplane mode or do not disturb mode
- Snooze notifications or emails on your phone and computer
- OneTab – this Chrome extension consolidates the millions of open tabs you have into one
- Facebook News Feed Eradicator – this extension blocks the Facebook newsfeed so you only see notifications when you log in
12 Responses
I think keeping myself busy definitely quietens my mind because I’m focused on the task in hand. These are great things I’ll try out too!
Chloe X http://chloelxuise.com
I so needed this article right now! My mind is constantly on overdrive and I can’t wait to try all of your tips. Thank you!
I related to what you were saying at the beginning of the post about scrolling through your phone while watching netflix to occupy your mind. I find myself doing that all the time! I often forget about making time to quiet my mind unless I’m meditating, but it really is so important. Thanks for the reminder! I definitely needed to read it today.
Jess | https://jessexplainsitall.com/sage-smudging-burning-sage-to-cleanse-your-home/
Thank you for your valuable article ?
Hi Katherine,
First, I want to say thank you for this article. I appreciate the fact that most of these recommendations do not have anything to do with social media or the internet/technology. They consist of simple things we should always do without the use of our technology. It’s refreshing that in a day and age that is dominated by influencers and publicizing one’s life, people can still find joy and peace in the simple things if we allow ourselves to. I too have a blog, but I discuss the drama in the beauty/influencer community which I enjoy, but I find posts like these more fulfilling. I also imagine that because younger generations are more up to date with the internet they are the ones who read the majority of your posts. As a college student who deals with school and everything in between, it is very helpful to get these little reminders of things that I should already know to do, but it’s easy to forget. Thank you again, I look forward to reading more of your posts.
I can totally see myself getting better with these tips. Great article.
Hi Katherine, some great tips. I do meditation but can very much relate to a good movie to take one’s mind of things. Meditation is tough though, I’ve done it for years and still have to sit patiently with the monkey-mind!
Thanks for sharing though and I just wondered if you might like this: https://app.establishmindfulness.com/catalog/category/mindfulness-in-daily-life/ They are some 3-5 minute focus exercises I put together; they are free to browse and look at. There is even one about making and having a cup of tea mindfully!
Anyway nice to connect.
Wow, I thought this mind when I was 19 years old, I was so worried about many things, This Is really helpfull for those (teenager even young adult) on period of a life quarter crisis. Thank You a lot Catherine ! ?
Is this good for anxiety attack?
Hi Joy! I’m not a therapist so I couldn’t say for sure.
Thanks for the article. Been looking for way around my mental exhaustion