If you’re one of those people who has a busy mind and is always thinking, you’ll know that achieving inner peace is extremely difficult. If someone offered you a magic wand so that you could stop the constant parade of thoughts going through your mind and prevent you from worrying about anything and everything, no doubt, you would snatch their hand off. A busy mind can be exhausting and emotionally draining. This article aims to give you some tips to help you slow your thoughts down.
You may think that constantly thinking and worrying is something that most of us do all the time. It may seem perfectly normal to you that your inner voice is constantly loud and proud and making demands of you. This is not necessarily true for everyone however.
Your busy mind can easily take over your life and have a detrimental effect on how you choose to love. If you don’t give yourself calm time, with a little distance, then you are effectively blocking out the parts of your life that you should be enjoying and should be at peace with. In other words, when you think, you are filtering life’s experiences, meaning you’re not living in the now. This can never bring you true happiness.
What do you think about? If you are judging, weighing, measuring, criticising etc., do you see how you are filtering your joy? You could be enjoying the simple sights, sounds, pleasures, smells and tastes, but instead you are comparing and valuing, and this takes so much away from your pleasure.
The knock-on effect of a busy mind can be a busy life. You cannot sit still or relax. You may struggle to sleep. You suffer with anxiety and depression, stress or panic attacks. You may be overly excitable, easily angered or frustrated. You may suffer with compulsion, or you may cry a great deal.
What is the answer then? How can you tame your busy mind? The answer is to find ways of putting the joy back in your life. You can do this through finding quiet times, meditating, or going on retreats. Five minutes a day is a start – and you can build on that. Practise finding the positive in all you see, feel and experience. Learn to forgive and learn to be grateful. Express your love of things and people. Be open, generous and free-spirited.
Andy Puddicombe, a Buddhist monk and mindfulness expert who co-founded Headspace, recommends taking just ten minutes per day to calm your mind. He tells us that practicing mindfulness can help you to regain focus and clarity in your life, so find a place to relax and allow your thoughts and emotions to come and go. He says we should step back from ourselves, try to maintain a little objectivity. Another way to do this is to imagine that you are blue sky, and your thoughts are the clouds that float by. Some are black and threatening and others are white and fluffy and virtually non-existent. Watch them all float past you and disappear.
Another technique worth considering is mentally telling yourself to ‘press pause’. When you find your thoughts are spiralling out of control and whirring around in your mind, take a moment and mentally instruct yourself to press pause. Focus on something in your vicinity. This could be the sky, flowers, a tree, a pencil pot, an apple, a child, or a dog. Place value on what you see. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty there, take a deep breath and re-energise yourself. When you go back to your world, you’ll be calmer and more appreciative.
Finally, you could also try creating a ‘contemplative practice’. This can be through art – perhaps drawing, doodling, painting – or through recording words in a journal. Simply unload your thoughts whichever way is practicable to you. You could do this through yoga or gardening too. It is something you have to do consistently, every day, preferably at the same time. If you don’t set up a regular time-slot to do this, your busy mind will take over and you won’t do it.
And that is the key. Your busy mind will not be tamed unless you take it in hand and deny it its power. Promising to spend time with yourself, in quiet and contemplation, away from your gadgets and other people, honouring your own need on a daily basis, is the best way to move forward.
Created by Tom Vermeersch (bio)
Tom Vermeersch is a certified Psychologist and Bach flower expert with more than 30 years of experience.
Find out if you’re (secretly) a perfectionist
Can setting high standards for yourself ever be a problem? For most people, striving for perfection would be considered a positive thing. For example, musicians only reach concert standard after thousands of hours of practice and athletes can't reach peak performance without long hours of training.
Negative thinking can hold you back from making a success of your life and achieving your dreams. It also has a significant effect on both our physical and mental health; research has demonstrated that people who have negative thought patterns experience fewer opportunities and more stress and physical illness.
Do you ever feel lonely? Do you think it’s possible to be happy by yourself? Being happy by yourself is perfectly feasible. We’ve come up with a list of helpful tips for you to consider that turns being alone into a positive state of affairs. Read our advice here.
It's often difficult to say no, but some people never do! So how do you know when to say no and when to say yes?
Sometimes it’s hard to notice when we've become trapped in familiar routines. Take our quiz to find out if you’re stuck in a rut and what you can do about it.
Do you feel you're always doing the same things and not getting anywhere? It's common to feel stuck in a rut, treading water and just going through the motions.
What makes it so hard to go back to school?
Going back to school during a pandemic is a new experience for everyone, and it's understandable if children are feeling anxious about it. We take a look at some of the issues and how you can help your child to get ready for returning to the classroom.
Let's go! How to make resolutions work
It's the same every year. We start well by making some New Year's resolutions but end up ditching them before January ends. So you how do you choose resolutions you can stick to?
Is it a serious problem if you feel unhappy? In order to have light, there should be darkness. Read this article to know more about feeling unhappy!
7 Factors for building a close family
All parents want the best for their children, and building a close family with bonds that will last forever is the secret to seeing them thrive. Families flourish when their bonds are strong, and everyone in the family feels happy and secure.
If you’re one of those people who has a busy mind and is always thinking, you’ll know that achieving inner peace is extremely difficult. If someone offered you a magic wand so that you could stop the constant parade of thoughts going through your mind and prevent you from worrying about anything and everything, no doubt, you would snatch their hand off. A busy mind can be exhausting and emotionally draining. This article aims to give you some tips to help you slow your thoughts down.
You may think that constantly thinking and worrying is something that most of us do all the time. It may seem perfectly normal to you that your inner voice is constantly loud and proud and making demands of you. This is not necessarily true for everyone however.
Your busy mind can easily take over your life and have a detrimental effect on how you choose to love. If you don’t give yourself calm time, with a little distance, then you are effectively blocking out the parts of your life that you should be enjoying and should be at peace with. In other words, when you think, you are filtering life’s experiences, meaning you’re not living in the now. This can never bring you true happiness.
What do you think about? If you are judging, weighing, measuring, criticising etc., do you see how you are filtering your joy? You could be enjoying the simple sights, sounds, pleasures, smells and tastes, but instead you are comparing and valuing, and this takes so much away from your pleasure.
The knock-on effect of a busy mind can be a busy life. You cannot sit still or relax. You may struggle to sleep. You suffer with anxiety and depression, stress or panic attacks. You may be overly excitable, easily angered or frustrated. You may suffer with compulsion, or you may cry a great deal.
What is the answer then? How can you tame your busy mind? The answer is to find ways of putting the joy back in your life. You can do this through finding quiet times, meditating, or going on retreats. Five minutes a day is a start – and you can build on that. Practise finding the positive in all you see, feel and experience. Learn to forgive and learn to be grateful. Express your love of things and people. Be open, generous and free-spirited.
Andy Puddicombe, a Buddhist monk and mindfulness expert who co-founded Headspace, recommends taking just ten minutes per day to calm your mind. He tells us that practicing mindfulness can help you to regain focus and clarity in your life, so find a place to relax and allow your thoughts and emotions to come and go. He says we should step back from ourselves, try to maintain a little objectivity. Another way to do this is to imagine that you are blue sky, and your thoughts are the clouds that float by. Some are black and threatening and others are white and fluffy and virtually non-existent. Watch them all float past you and disappear.
Another technique worth considering is mentally telling yourself to ‘press pause’. When you find your thoughts are spiralling out of control and whirring around in your mind, take a moment and mentally instruct yourself to press pause. Focus on something in your vicinity. This could be the sky, flowers, a tree, a pencil pot, an apple, a child, or a dog. Place value on what you see. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty there, take a deep breath and re-energise yourself. When you go back to your world, you’ll be calmer and more appreciative.
Finally, you could also try creating a ‘contemplative practice’. This can be through art – perhaps drawing, doodling, painting – or through recording words in a journal. Simply unload your thoughts whichever way is practicable to you. You could do this through yoga or gardening too. It is something you have to do consistently, every day, preferably at the same time. If you don’t set up a regular time-slot to do this, your busy mind will take over and you won’t do it.
And that is the key. Your busy mind will not be tamed unless you take it in hand and deny it its power. Promising to spend time with yourself, in quiet and contemplation, away from your gadgets and other people, honouring your own need on a daily basis, is the best way to move forward.
Can setting high standards for yourself ever be a problem? For most people, striving for perfection would be considered a positive thing. For example, musicians only reach concert standard after thousands of hours of practice and athletes can't reach peak performance without long hours of training.
Negative thinking can hold you back from making a success of your life and achieving your dreams. It also has a significant effect on both our physical and mental health; research has demonstrated that people who have negative thought patterns experience fewer opportunities and more stress and physical illness.
Do you ever feel lonely? Do you think it’s possible to be happy by yourself? Being happy by yourself is perfectly feasible. We’ve come up with a list of helpful tips for you to consider that turns being alone into a positive state of affairs. Read our advice here.
It's often difficult to say no, but some people never do! So how do you know when to say no and when to say yes?
Sometimes it’s hard to notice when we've become trapped in familiar routines. Take our quiz to find out if you’re stuck in a rut and what you can do about it.
Read the complete article
Do you feel you're always doing the same things and not getting anywhere? It's common to feel stuck in a rut, treading water and just going through the motions.
Going back to school during a pandemic is a new experience for everyone, and it's understandable if children are feeling anxious about it. We take a look at some of the issues and how you can help your child to get ready for returning to the classroom.
It's the same every year. We start well by making some New Year's resolutions but end up ditching them before January ends. So you how do you choose resolutions you can stick to?
Is it a serious problem if you feel unhappy? In order to have light, there should be darkness. Read this article to know more about feeling unhappy!
All parents want the best for their children, and building a close family with bonds that will last forever is the secret to seeing them thrive. Families flourish when their bonds are strong, and everyone in the family feels happy and secure.
Bach Flowers are not medicinal but harmless plant extracts which are used to support health.
© 2026 Mariepure - Webdesign Publi4u
Are you unsure which Bach flowers can help you? Contact Tom for free advice.
