How do I actually turn my mind off?

built

built

//
BuSo Pro
Boot Camp
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
1,677
Likes
1,442
Degree
4
I think since around 2014 there hasnt been a day where I havent worked on my site or thought about how I can make money/make my sites even better.

Kinda feel like its catching up with me and need to turn my mind off some times before I hit that burn out.

So what to do? I think meditation might be a good idea now that I'm typing this out
 
Hobbies help me. I play darts for two teams locally which gets me out two evenings and I tend to not look at my phone or think about either my main business or my projects while I'm out. It's better than just 'general socialising' as sure you can go out for dinner, hang out with friends etc but those aren't regular/enforced by habit and regularity so you will always be tempted to work instead.
 
Meditation is a good way to gather your thoughts. I do Yoga and it helps calm me down, focusing on my breathing for a 60-75 minutes. I also go out and shoot pool, guns and go fishing. I used to drag race and autocross my car.

You gotta get away from the computer sometimes. My best ideas come to me when I'm not sitting in front of it.
 
Just like jayk said, meditation will keep the noise in your head quiet. The thing is, you will need to meditate every day for one week to see some results. I also suggest swimming or taking some short vacation to a mountain.
 
I dont think if stepped away from my pc for more than a few hours to sleep or go to gym in the last two years lol.

Definitely going to need to give it a shot and see what happens, downloaded this app and will follow the routine every morning https://www.calm.com/
 
I am in the same boat as you going on 6+ years now.. along the way I have had 2 epic burnouts where I needed to make a major change and take a step back. Between my SEO career (9-5), side hustle (5-midnight), AND the whole time I play PC games.... Usually in front of a screen minimum 12 hours per day.

I constantly have (mostly bad) online biz ideas and often stay awake to take notes with small tasks for the next day. Getting a task management software (asana, zoho, trello, etc.) really helped me relieve some anxiety of losing ideas without taking any action.

Taking a vacation REALLY REALLY helps me. I like to go to the Caribbean or up north to a cottage for a cheaper time and really shut off for 4 to 7 days. Somewhere the internet connection isn't great... and a trip that you don't have to do much traveling on. Just monitor your results, discuss some ideas and future goals, but try to avoid emails and such. Put up that away from office auto reply message and check the F out. I actually left my laptop at home for my previous long weekend cottage trip and it was great.

Other than that during the week going to pubs for beer, taking walks around the city, etc.. I wish I had a better answer but I still haven't fully figured out how to shut it off yet either. :confused:
 
You don't turn your mind off. You can't. And the more you fight it, the more you try to turn it off, the more you're focusing on it. Thus, the problem is magnified.

What you can do is allow your mind to do what it does, but instead of fighting it, just let it be. Imagine you're standing outside of yourself, watching yourself experience all those feelings. Observing yourself as your mind races. Just observe.

By doing that you're experiencing the emotions without fighting them. You're dealing with them without focusing on them specifically. So they lose their hold over you. Little by little each day you're more and more free from them.

I've been doing this for a long time and it's made a huge impact on my life. Sure it will do the same for you.
 
All of this activity is virtual that we do, from online business to watching movies to playing video games. Even meditation (which I recommend). It's all interfacing with the mind and not the body.

The polar opposite usually works for me. Going on a hike, going camping (I've found that 2 days is the right amount to completely unplug), building something with your hands... Something with novelty and spontaneity built in versus a structured gym workout, etc.
 
Yes meditation is great but looks like you got plenty on your mind.
Start differently ... Take some time off n go to areas with only nature and you where you can forget everything, even in cities there are those places. Outside cities is better. Do that everyday make it your daily routine. Do outdoor activities, moving your body will also move your mind to a different place. You can also volunteer to help charities, it's a different perspective.
Try some of those n see what works for you.
 
jayk said:
I'm down. I'd love to get together with some of y'all.
Click to expand...

Cool man -- pm me on here and i'll make sure to let you know when i'm in town and if anyone else is coming along. happy to be the organizer... i might even make a proper thread for it in a few weeks!
 
For me, getting active is key. I find sport is great because it gets you active but it is also gets me out and socialising. I find that I can't just switch off, I need to put my focus elsewhere. I do Brazillian Jui Jitzu 4 times a week, and there is nothing I know more that requires your undivided attention. You can't be worrying about calling that client tomorrow when you have someone trying to choke you out haha

If I need something more relaxing, I find going for bush walks is perfect. Getting back to nature and no phone reception is a good combo for me. My business partner regularly surfs as well to get his head clear.

Like what other people have mentioned, I've tried meditation and yoga, and I find they really help.
 
If you are new to meditation it can be hard but there is an iphone app called Headspace which is a really good guided meditation course. I think it's free for the first 10 meditations and that's all you need really.
 
Personally two things work for me:

Getting organized is about one thing - having a system in place when you can dump your thoughts, ideas, tasks etc that is reliable enough that you know you won't loose things. Anything you think about more than the first time it comes to your attention, and the time when you handle it, is taking up your mental energy.
More reading: Getting Things Done / Making it All Work by David Allen

Remove access/take forced breaks. I can tell you I have little self control when things can be easily accessed. Sitting in the house and trying not to use the computer when I have ideas or things I want to do doesn't work. It's all about what you don't have access to. If I don't want to eat ice cream, I don't buy it at the store. When it's not there, I can't have it without having to go get it. It sounds like you need a computer vacation. Go someplace where you can't access your computer for a week or two and see how that clears your mind.

edit: all the stuff about hobbies is good for maintenance, but being on the edge of burnout needs serious action.
 
I've used brain.fm in the past to clean my mind. It's been especially useful on nights when I can't get to sleep and just need something to tip me over the edge.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, started implementing some things and started training for a bodybuilding competition too (the structure of the diet etc changes my whole mindset)

My focus and motivation is through the roof right now, so looking forward to grinding hard again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back