Six Amazing Ways to Detox Your Mind From Over Thinking

Body detoxes are advertised everywhere. I’m a fan of fasting and juice cleaning and look forward to detoxing on my Ultimate Life Recharge. It’s not just my body that gets a detox though. It’s just as important to detox your mind from over thinking as well. If you want to stop overthinking and get some peace of mind from the constant chatter of your brain, a mind detox is a must.

What does overthinking cost long term?

Overthinking leaves your energy levels low, it’s mentally exhausting, and worse, it stops you from being your most creative and successful self!

When you can tap into the energy of being present in the now, you tap into your true genius. You find yourself having conversations that lead to fantastic opportunities or awareness.

You’ll have your biggest, most original business ideas effortlessly, and will feel at peace, whatever peace means for you. Maybe that’s happiness, a sense of calm, or connection. That’s what Live it Now and all of my trainings have been designed to do: Help you realise your own pathway to peace and prosperity.

If your overthinking mind is getting in your way, practice these six amazing ways to detox your mind from over thinking and get yourself moving forward today.

1. Switch off two hours before going to bed.

Many people find their heads are busiest just when they are going to sleep. When you were at your desk you couldn’t think of a single thing, now your brain is a torrent of information.

Turning off your brain before bed means turn off all technology two hours before sleep.

Computers, phones and devices stimulate your mind with activity as well as light. This light tampers with your brain chemicals. Naturally, when it starts to get dark, your brain creates a chemical for sleep. Sitting with a bright light on your face confuses these chemicals and keeps your brain running.

Then you expect to snap all the lights off at once and your brain will shut down?

Give yourself a technology dusk to wind down to sleep slowly. If you really can’t manage two hours, one hour is better than nothing. Falling asleep with your face on the keyboard clutching your iPhone with the TV on is going to lead to burn out.

Knowing your bedtime means committing to some structure in your day and some discipline to meet the switch-off deadline. It’s worth it for a sound night sleep.

Waking up feeling rested and energised is the best way to start fresh and get new ideas flowing.

Shut down before you shut down applies to
• Television
• Phone calls
• Text messages
• Apps
• Online/computer games
• Music/radio
• Turn as many lights off and down as you can

2. Be in the NOW.
Those thoughts running through your mind constantly are usually made of memories. Spending too much time thinking about the past, stuck in regret, embarrassment or perceived failure will cause overthinking and really get your mood down.

Spending too much time trying to predict and overcome future obstacles, living in a state of worst case scenario, will slow your ability to make decisions, have you second-guessing and doubting yourself and ultimately stressed out by those overthinking thought patterns.

Both these states will result in unproductive overthinking and keep you stuck in your current situation.

In the present, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. You just enable yourself to do whatever needs doing in this exact moment and trust that whatever happens next you’ll handle. You will live your life, now!

Simple activities to get present

• Relaxing bath or shower, maybe with a salt scrub and candles.
• Yoga/stretching
• Meditation
• Self-reflection/gratification time
• Reading
• Craft/art
• Playing with kids or pets or relaxing with partner
• Cook something new
• Go for a walk in nature
• Listen to music
• Focus on your breath. Really be aware of each breath in, the air filling your lungs, the pressure on your diaphragm, and each slow breath out.

Be aware of everything around you. Each detail, shades of colour, go to micro extremes of where you are in the world right now and the thoughts will stop.

3. Clean up. Tidy up.
A cluttered space is a cluttered mind so clear out anything you don’t need from your home and office. Use white space for inspiration and creativity. During the day, open doors and windows to mentally and physically enable more room and fresh air.

While you are cleaning don’t forget your body and emotions need a clear out from time to time too, so practice healthy eating and take up my free Belief Buster to knock out those nagging negative beliefs from your past that just won’t leave you alone.

If you are already in the habit of keeping your space clean and tidy, take it up a step and start moving things around. Sometimes a new space is all it takes to create new energy and stop overthinking.

4. Anchor in a happy place.
Find a place of peace and practice using it both when you feel you’re overthinking and when you are naturally calm. You might visualise a happy place, create an anchor on a movement or purposeful action or against a token or piece of jewellery.

5. Set your boundaries
Overthinking an argument or situation that went badly could be a result of crossed boundaries. Take some time to write up your boundaries around that situation. If it’s a relationship issue, outline your Top 5 Values for a loving relationship, if it’s work, outline your Top 5 Values for a happy work environment then put boundaries in place.

To ensure those values are upheld, communicate them politely to your family, friends, and co-workers. Remember, the key to making boundaries work is to respect them in the actions and behaviours you demonstrate every day. If you don’t honour the things you respect most, nobody else will, no matter how much you ask them to.

If you value other people being on time, be on time yourself. As soon as those boundaries are realised you will notice a calmness in your mind. It’s a simple and highly effective way to get your mind calm and satisfied with the outcomes.
6. Ask the right questions

Our mind likes instructions. It’s structured to store and retrieve information for us. If you ask yourself a question like “why does this always happen to me?” you will get a list of reasons, based on past experience and previous events, that are probably inaccurate.

Our mind simply loves delivery, and it is incapable of understanding when a question is sarcastic or rhetorical. Create positive tasks for your mind by asking the right questions and getting it working in ways you want, towards the answer and outcome you desire.

Pick questions with positive outcomes.
• How did I achieve this before?
• How can I afford to do this training?
• What do I need to give up in order to get where I want to go?

The other way to help direct your mind to positives is to remind yourself that positives exist.

Keep a small journal to write your thoughts, do ‘stream-of-conscious’ writing for a set period of time and you will get to see what your mind is working on that might need releasing, a boundary or just some quiet time of positive reflection.

It’s also a great way to get lists, ideas and instructions out of your head and onto paper straight away so they don’t get lost and your mind doesn’t feel the need to keep waking you to remember them!

Lastly. The best way to find calm in your brain and fully detox is to find positive things in your life. Write them down or take the time to think them out. Practicing gratitude will actively move your mental filters to find more things to be grateful for, keeping you present, in the moment and full of empowering thoughts, creating powerful decisions and the ability to take powerful action.

Kindest regards,
Matt Catling