How to calm your mind? We’d all like to have a “pause” button to press when our thoughts are racing. Unfortunately, this button doesn’t exist, but there are many things we can do to calm our thoughts.

1 – Acceptance is the first step to calming the mind

When we feel that our mind is getting restless and that this is creating unease within us, we need to accept and say to ourselves: “Okay, my mind is getting restless. My thoughts are upside down and I feel bad.”

Acceptance means making peace with what we’re feeling inside. This is important, because we’ve learned to pretend, to hide our emotions.

Acceptance sends a strong message: what I feel is important. I am important. I decide to listen to myself and take care of myself.

Acceptance isn’t always easy. Indeed, it’s easier to pretend that everything’s fine.

To accept, I invite you to isolate yourself for a few minutes and breathe calmly. There’s nothing to do, just be. Just breathe. Feel your heart beat. Concentrate on your breath, on the movement of your breathing.

2 – Talking to yourself like a friend to calm your mind

We’ve learned to speak well to others, to pay attention to them, to show kindness and empathy, but we haven’t learned to do the same with ourselves. On the contrary, we’ve learned to judge ourselves harshly.

It’s time for this to stop. Because when our minds get agitated, our thoughts collide and hurt us. Our thoughts are filled with judgment and this creates strong negative emotions.

What would you say to a friend whose mind is racing and who is repeating bad things about himself or his life? What would you do?

You’d reassure and comfort them. After all, it would be hard for you to see your friend suffering from his thoughts. So why not do the same for yourself? Why not offer yourself some support and comfort?

I invite you to take a few moments for yourself when you’re not feeling well. Visualize that what you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, is being felt and thought by a friend of yours. Think about what you’d like to say, and let the words resonate within you. I suggest you write them down on a piece of paper and then reread them for yourself.

You know, you’re your best support, your greatest love. Only you can love yourself the way you want to.

3 – Get out of your head to calm your mind

Once you’ve accepted that your mind is restless and taken the time to reassure yourself as a friend would, it’s time to get out of your head.

It’s not our habit to cut our thoughts short. In fact, we tend to follow them. That’s why we think thoughts control us. But they don’t.

Yes, we can silence our worried minds. How can we do this? By getting out of our heads.

To get out of our heads, we’ll use our hands, our legs, our ears, our eyes…

We’re going to do something to focus on something other than our chaotic thoughts.

I invite you to take 5-10 minutes to do an activity, whatever you like, as long as you shift your attention from what you’re thinking to what you’re doing.

You can go for a walk or a run. You can read, write, draw, color. Or you can listen to music, call a friend, meditate…

Just do something. Get out of your head!

Yes, at every moment of your life, you have the choice of whether or not to listen to your thoughts. When they make you feel good, keep going, but when they make you suffer, stop. You have the choice, you’re free.

In fact, you are not your thoughts. You are much more than that.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to master your mind: my 3 most effective approaches
Discover How to better manage your emotions: 5 steps to a more serene life

In addition, I recommend this inspiring book on the subject:

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

If you have a keen interest in awareness, meditation and personal development, this book can be a tremendous asset. It offers simple yet profound insights to help you meet the ongoing challenges of our hectic modern world with greater clarity and tranquility. It’s a book that can serve as an inspiration to find moments of calm and enlightenment in your daily experiences.
I will definitely be buying this book for my family and friends. I will reread these words for their comfort and support.

Thank you very much for reading this article.
If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself.