Stop The Chatter: Simple Tips To Calm A Busy Mind

We all know what it’s like to have that non stop chatter filling our minds. Never giving us a moments peace. We’re constantly bombarded with information and of course our mobile phone is never far away just in case we get bored….

Being in business means the chatter only gets even more intense. Our minds are literally dripping with ideas, decisions to be made, worries, self doubt, fear, and so on.

If we don’t take action to stop the chatter – at least from time to time, then our health and businesses are going to suffer.

So, what can we do to calm down our busy mind?

I could suggest relaxation, or a quiet stroll in nature, but we know this will only make the chatter appear louder! So here are some quick and simple tips for you to try out and see what works best for you.

Journal

Get those thoughts out of your head. Jot them down. Make lists. Once everything is out of your head and on to paper you can start to plan, prioritise and organise. Keep a notebook by your bed too, so if you can’t sleep because something is on your mind and you’re worried you’ll forget it in the morning, just jot it down and know that it’s safely there for you to tackle in the morning.

Plan

If you’re worried how you are going together everything done, then set a plan of action. What tasks need to get done? How long will they take to do? When do they need to be finished by? What resources do you need to get them done? Where can you get help?

Just planning this out will give your mind a breather and stop having to constantly think of how you are going to fit it all in.

Focus

Quite often when you need to get a task done, your mind will just drift off in all sorts of directions. So, you need to train and discipline your mind, in effect, force it focus on the one task in hand.

Turn off your phone – put it completely out of reach if you think you might be tempted to have a quick scroll through facebook, or something. Turn off email notifications and in fact, set specific times in the day when you will check your emails. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted when you are in flow, working on a task.

Try the Pomodoro technique, where you set a timer for 25 minutes and work solidly on one task. At the end of the 25 minutes, take a break.

De-Clutter

Whilst it can sometimes be easy to ignore any clutter and messiness around you, it more often than not adds to the stress and pressure you are already feeling. It’s just another thing that drags you down, makes you feel bad, and is on your mind to sort.

Get tough! Remove anything that you don’t need, don’t use and don’t feel you with joy. If you’re holding on to stuff, just in case, but haven’t touched it in months or even years, then now is the time to let it go.

Clear your desk and create some space. Just doing this will help your mind find feel clearer. Create some order. Having bits all over the place is reflecting what’s going on in your mind – darting from one thing to another with no logic and no benefit.

Exercise

By exercise I am recommending activities that will keep your mind occupied, rather than the more gentle pursuits, which very much have their place of course, but don’t necessarily help you clear a busy mind. Try things like interval training where your mind has to focus on switching levels, or a gym circuit where you focus on moving between activities, or dance where your mind is concentrating on the moves and routines you need to create. Team sports are great too. Anything that fully occupies your mind will divert it from all the crazy non stop chatter.

Meditate

Yes, you knew it would be in here somewhere!

Meditation is just so important. Learning to train your mind to let your thoughts just pass by without any reaction whilst you sit still is just so beneficial to your mind. It might well be difficult todo in the moment, but definitely gets easier the more you practice.