Doing Exercises and Activities
Slow down your breathing to occupy your mind. Concentrate your thoughts on controlling your breathing to bring your mind into sync with your body in the present moment. Breathe in slowly while you count to 4-7, then breathe out slowly and count to 4-7 again, for example. You can also look up different breathing exercises, such as yogic breathing or deep throat breathing, and try those out to find something that works for you. If you're struggling to adjust your breathing, try simply noticing the sensation of your breathing without making any changes. Anytime you catch your mind wandering, bring your attention back to the sensations of breathing.
Do a physical activity to focus on something else. Take a break from whatever you’re doing and go for a walk, do some exercise, clean your space, or take a shower. These types of physical activities help you focus on what you’re doing in the moment to bring your thoughts back to the present. For example, if you work in an office and you get 15 minute breaks, you could go outside and go for a 10 minute walk around the block to clear your head. If you work from home, you could take a 15-30 minute break and clean and organize your home office space. A clean workspace can also help you focus!
Take 10-15 minutes to do nothing and focus on being in the present. Stop working or whatever you are doing and find a quiet place to sit or lay down. Close your eyes and focus on the sensations in your feet and hands, your breathing, and how it feels to lie down.. This will help calm your wandering thoughts and bring your mind into the current moment.Tip: Stay off your phone and other electronics during this time. If you spend the time on social media, for example, you're not giving your mind a rest. Truly try to do nothing at all other than just sit or lay there. Try combining this period of doing nothing with slow breathing or another type of breathing exercise. This can help keep your mind from wandering for these 10-15 minutes and calm your thoughts down. For example, if you work at home and find that you can’t concentrate, take a break and go sit on your balcony or lay down on your bed, away from your laptop and work things. Do nothing for at least 10 minutes and see how it affects your racing thoughts.
Say a mantra to get other thoughts out of your mind. A mantra is a word or phrase that you repeat over and over in your head or out loud to calm your thoughts and focus your mind on the present. Come up with a mantra that feels good to you and try repeating it whenever your mind starts to wander. For example, if you’re feeling stressed, you could use a simple phrase like “everything is OK” or “life is beautiful.” Single word mantras you can try include “strong,” “calm,” and “finish.” These could work well if you’re trying to power through something like a run or a chore without getting distracted.
Try meditating to build your focus. Meditating is an extension of exercises like focusing on your breathing and doing nothing. Try sitting and focusing your mind on your breathing, on repeating a mantra, or just on “being” in the present moment. Take note if your mind starts to wander and try to bring it back to focus on the current moment. You can search online for meditation techniques or download something like a mindfulness app to help you if you’re totally new to meditating. Meditation takes practice, but stick with it and you might find that you really benefit from it! The classic mantra for focusing on meditation is just “om.” You could try repeating this out loud or in your head while you meditate. It's normal for your mind to wander when you're meditating. The goal isn't to shut off your thoughts—it's to learn how to recognize when your mind is wandering so you can bring your attention back to the present moment.
Controlling Anxious Thoughts
Write down all your concerns to get them out of your head. Take 5-20 minutes to write down everything you are feeling anxious about on a piece of paper. The physical act of writing things down often helps your thoughts stop racing. This can also help you organize your anxious thoughts, so you can address their causes later on. For example, if you’re having trouble sleeping because you can’t stop thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, try writing down a to-do list to get the thoughts out of your head and help you get to sleep.
Think about positive alternative scenarios to stop worrying. Anxious thoughts are often a result of you thinking about worst case scenarios. Try to come up with at least 1 positive alternative every time you have an anxious thought about something that might go wrong. For example, if you are worried about turning a project in to your boss, think about ways it could help your career if your boss really loves your work. Say you’re studying for a test in a topic that you find difficult and you keep thinking about what will happen if you fail the test, so it’s hard to focus on studying. Instead, try thinking about how great you can do on the test and how it will boost your grade if you study hard.
Work on any tasks that are hanging over your head. It’s normal to avoid certain big tasks or responsibilities that you’re not looking forward to taking care of, but this also tends to generate anxiety. Instead of avoiding something, face it head on and work on it systematically to get it over with. For example, you might be avoiding putting a big report together at work because it’s slow and tedious, but you find your mind wandering to this task that’s hanging over you. Set aside time in each day to work on the report, so you make progress instead of just dreading it.
Talk to someone to get your anxious thoughts out of your head. It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of going over and over something in your head if you don’t ever talk to anyone about it. Talk to a friend, family member, or even a therapist to help you get some perspective on something that’s making you anxious and causing your mind to wander.Tip: If you think you might have clinical-level anxiety, it’s always best to talk to a professional about it. They can provide you with a professional treatment to help you get it under control. For example, if you can’t seem to focus on anything because all you’re thinking about is your ongoing divorce, maybe seeing a therapist to talk about it would help you control those thoughts. If your mind is wandering because you’re frustrated about something at work, maybe getting a coffee with a coworker you trust and talking to them about whatever the issue is will help calm your mind.
Try to accept the things that you cannot change. Accept that the current moment in your day or life isn’t exactly what you want it to be and tell yourself that it will pass, for example. This will help you focus on the present moment, rather than wasting your energy thinking about something that you have no control over. For instance, say you’re having trouble focusing on being present with your family over a long weekend because you’re worried about something at work. Try to accept that in this particular moment you can’t do anything about your work tasks and focus on enjoying the family time.
Pay attention to the root causes of anxious thoughts and address them. Take note of the specific ways your mind wanders and try to identify any underlying reasons why your mind is wandering. Think about ways you can address these root causes to stop your mind from wandering. For example, if your mind is continuously thinking about what it would be like to work in a different job, it might be time to consider a career change and start looking for another position. If you keep thinking about a conflict with a colleague you’re having at work, it might help calm your thoughts to sit down with them and talk about it.
Focusing on Tasks
Do 1 task at a time to concentrate on just that 1 thing. Complete 1 work project or 1 piece of homework before moving onto your next task, for example. This will keep your mind focused on 1 thing to prevent it from wandering and you’ll find that you’re able to get more done.Tip: Training your brain to focus on 1 thing is just like training your body. It can be hard at first, but with practice you can learn to control your mind and focus it on the task at hand. Any activities you do throughout your day can be considered tasks. For instance, when you’re eating your lunch, try to focus just on your lunch. Don’t try to multitask and work or study while you eat. If you’re talking to someone, try to focus 100% on the conversation and not let yourself get distracted by noises or other people around you. After the conversation is over, move on to your next task. If you need to put together a presentation for a work meeting, focus on getting the presentation totally done before you move onto another task like checking your email or looking at data.
Practice avoiding momentary distractions to build concentration. Try not to let yourself get distracted by small things like people walking by, something outside the window, or someone making noises. Actively keep your attention on the task in front of you instead of looking up and away every time there is a small distraction. For example, if you work in an office with a bunch of other people around, it can be tempting to look around the room to find the culprit any time someone coughs or sneezes. Don’t let yourself do this! If you have to sit next to a window and there is something going on outside that distracts you, such as a building under construction, practice not looking out the window every time a crane moves. You can also try removing distractions in settings like classrooms and offices by closing drapes or blinds to block your view or putting in headphones to block out noise.
Designate a specific time to worry, think, or plan. Set aside a block of time each day to allow yourself to get lost in your thoughts, so your mind doesn’t wander as much when you’re doing tasks. Allow yourself to think about the things that you find your mind keeps wandering to during this time, then refocus on your next task when the time is up. For example, you could give yourself a free thinking period from 5:30-6:00 every day. During this time, don’t try to work, study, or get any other tasks done. For these 30 minutes, let yourself think about any worries you have or do any planning you need to do. Say you keep thinking about an upcoming vacation and all the things you still need to do to get ready. Instead of letting your mind wander to it all day, designate a time block during which you can do things like making a packing list or researching sites you want to visit, then refocus on your other tasks.
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