10+ Strategies You Won’t Believe to Get Your Mind Off Worries and Stress

Losing focus and getting distracted is something we’re all quite familiar with. After all, who wants to procrastinate when the best option is to quickly finish the task? Even then, distractions are what cause us to worry and increase our stress levels. When you can’t focus on one thing at a time, it serves to increase your stress and delay the inevitable.

It’s not a surprise that we think more than our fair share of thoughts in a day and while some thoughts are easily dismissible, others seem to stick in our minds until they spin a web of worry and stress. Here, you may find yourself wondering, “How do I get my mind off something?” That something can be the distraction or your worry trigger that you’re trying to avoid.

If the world was run on magic, it could’ve been as simple as a snap of our fingers to dismiss the errant worries and focus, but alas! magic is sorely missing in our world. So, what can we do to ease our worries if not a snap of our fingers?

Well, simple and effective strategies exist that can help you get your mind off things and clear the chaos reigning your mind. I’m sharing some of those effective strategies to get your mind off worries in this article.

Keep reading!

10+ Ways to Take Your Mind Off of Things

1. Distract Yourself

One of the best ways to get your mind off something is to distract yourself! I know it sounds counterproductive, but trust me, it works! If your mind wanders, it can lead you to worry unnecessarily and cause unhappiness. If you’re not keeping your mind busy, then it’s likely that your mind will stick to negative thoughts.

To avoid this, you need to distract yourself with something positive and productive. Here are some things you can try;

• Play Tetris
• Read a book
• Watch a movie
• Listen to music
• Talk to someone

2. Laugh Out Loud

Another way to get your mind off of things is to laugh about it. Well, laughter in itself is medicine, right? So why not use it as such? Science says it too! Laughing can release happy hormones such as endorphins and can create a sense of happiness. When you laugh out loud, you benefit from it in these ways;

• Your mind focuses on something positive
• Laughing stimulates your mind and helps you cope with negativity better
• Having a positive mind through laughter can help you deal with challenges in life

3. Question Your Thoughts

It might sound hard and a little bit insane, but this strategy is an effective one. While we do think a lot of thoughts in a day, not all can be productive and helpful, so try to question some of your thoughts. Ask yourself, “Is this thought helping me?” If you answer “NO” well, why keep repeating it then?

You can also ask yourself;

• Is this thought true or false?
• If my loved one was stuck in this situation, how would I respond?
• What else can I think?
• Will this have thought matter in a few weeks or months?

4. Write About Them

Whatever your mind is stuck on, write about it. Get a piece of paper and start writing whatever comes to your mind. Even if the thought is negative, write about it. It doesn’t matter if the grammar is good or the sentence structure is faulty, just write.

Writing down what’s on your mind can help you confront your thoughts instead of putting them away. It can also allow you to focus on the issues without getting too distracted and also help you look back objectively.

5. Talk to a Friend

Whenever my mind is fixated on something, talking to one of my friends helps a lot. It allows me to brainstorm my thoughts and find a solution that might not have been as visible if I was talking to myself. When you put your thoughts to words said out loud (and not to yourself), you can find quick solutions.

Talking to a friend gives you clarity to your chaotic mind and allows you to move on. Even if you can’t figure out what’s your mind stuck on, at least you can talk about it with your trusted person.

6. Do Exercise

Exercising is also an activity that can increase your endorphin production and improve brain health, so whenever you want to get your mind off something, exercise. Exercising can also improve your focus and release stress and worries. You can join a gym or take a walk whenever worries fill your mind.

7. Engage in a Repetitive Action

Another effective way to take your mind off of things is to engage in a repetitive action or chore. I like doing dishes when I wish to take my mind off something ad or worrying. You can try mopping the floor, cleaning your workspace, or watering your plants. Anything mundane and routine can do. This kind of activity also promotes mindfulness, so it’s a win-win situation!

8. Listen to a Motivational Podcast

Listening to motivational people can help you gain motivation too! Think of motivation as a contagious thing. When you’re trying to get your mind off something but can’t, then tune in to listen to motivational podcasts or speakers sharing their stories. You may not even have a personal connection with them, but no matter, you can feel the motivation from them.

9. Try Some Meditation

When getting your mind off worrying doesn’t seem possible, sit in a quiet and cool room, and meditate. Now, meditation may not work for everyone but having a clear mind can help you process and manage your thoughts and emotions better.

All you have to do is let your thoughts come, acknowledge them, and then let them go. Don’t allow them to linger in your mind for more than necessary.

10. Take Worry Time

Sometimes, we need to listen to our worries without being uninterrupted. To do that and to take your mind off of things, just schedule worry time. Tell yourself that it is during this time that you’ll allow the worrisome thoughts to enter your mind and as soon as time’s up, you won’t entertain them.

Just take half an hour at most and allow your worrisome thoughts to air. Once the time’s up, do something productive and distract yourself from these thoughts once more.

11. Daydream

Daydream has many benefits too! For one, it allows you to run your imagination and improve your creativity. Creative thinking can always help you create a positive mindset so that’s a plus. Second, daydreaming can help you with problem-solving as well as allow you to take a break and escape from the dreary reality.

12. Talk to a Counselor

Negative thoughts or ruminating thoughts can be unhealthy for your mind and heart, so another way to take your mind off something stressful is to talk to a counselor. A counselor can help you figure out where the negative thoughts are coming from and how to create a new perspective on the same.

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More often than not, the issues that take our mind away from focusing are something easily solvable, but not alone (at least not all the time). Speaking to a counselor can help you take your mind off something sad and worrying and focus on the present and positive.

Wrap-Up

Not being able to focus on something for long periods can be distracting on its own and can even increase your risk of rumination and depression. Having your mind stuck on something can also stop you from moving forward and living your best life. Ruminating for long on things can also cause you unnecessary stress and worry.

To keep unnecessary stress and worry away from your mind and allow it to focus on the present, you can engage in the above-mentioned strategies. These strategies will help you get your mind off of things and stay in the present moment.

If your mind is stuck on something worrying and you can’t find a way to get your mind off something, then do give the strategies listed above a try and let us know if they worked for you in the comments below!

Take care!