When your mind won’t switch off, it can feel like you’re stuck in a loop of thoughts that aren’t wanted. You might be lying in bed replaying conversations, worrying about exams or worrying about the future. If that sounds familiar, you’re definitely not alone – I’ve been there to and can understand how you may be feeling.
Many young people experience this kind of ‘overthinking’, especially during stressful periods like exams or big life changes. In fact, research shows that young people today report increasing levels of stress, anxiety and difficulty switching off, with academic pressure and social comparison being key factors. In England, NHS Digital and YoungMinds highlight how common these experiences are among young people.
There’s actually a reason your brain does this. When we’re stressed or overwhelmed, our minds try to problem-solve and protect us by constantly thinking things through. While that can sometimes be helpful, it can also become exhausting and make it harder to relax, sleep, or enjoy things in the moment.
In this blog, I’m going to share what I personally do when my mind won’t switch off. These are three simple, realistic things that have helped me slow my thoughts down and feel more in control again. Everyone is different, so not everything will work for you – and that’s okay – but hopefully this gives you a place to start.
Everything in My Head, On Paper
One thing that really helps me when my mind won’t switch off is doing a brain dump. I’ll just grab my notes app or a random bit of paper and write everything that’s in my head – things I’m stressed about, stuff I need to do, random thoughts, even things that don’t make sense. It doesn’t need to be neat or organised; I just get it all out. My favourite way to do this is on paper, using loads of different coloured pens. I’ll switch colours depending on what I’m writing- worries in one colour, things I need to do in another, random thought in a different one.
It sounds simple, but it actually makes such a difference because it feels like I’m taking the pressure off my brain to hold onto everything at once. Instead of going round in circles in my head, it’s all there in front of me, and suddenly it feels a bit more manageable. A lot of the time, it helps me to realise that half the things I was worrying about aren’t ass big as they felt before- they were just louder because they were stuck in my head.
Give Your Mind Something Else to focus On
Another thing that really helps me is putting something on in the background. It took me a long time to realise that when it’s completely silent, my thoughts feel so much louder and harder to ignore. So instead, I’ll put on a comfort show, a podcast or my favourite music (shoutout to Taylor Swift). It gives my brain something else to focus on, so I’m not stuck in my own thoughts the whole time. I think it works because it gently distracts me – not in an overwhelming way, but just enough to interrupt the overthinking spiral. Sometimes I’m not even properly watching or listening, it’s just the presence of something else that makes me feel calmer and less alone in my head.
There’s actually a lot of research behind why this can help. Nolan – Hoeksema et al suggest that low-level background noise or familiar audio can reduce repetitive thoughts by shifting attention away them. Furthermore, Thoma et al found that music, in particular, has been found to support emotional regulation and reduce feelings of anxiety in young people. For me, choosing something familiar is important because it doesn’t require effort to follow (not like watching a movie you’ve never seen before), which means my brain can settle rather than staying alert. It’s such a small thing, but it really helps to take the edge off when my mind won’t switch off.
Create a Simple Wind-Down Routine
Finally, another thing that’s really helped me is creating a simple wind-down routine. I used to go straight from being on my phone or stressing about things to trying to sleep, and it just didn’t work – my brain was still in ‘go’ mode. Now, I try to give myself a bit of time to slow down properly. It’s nothing complicated, just small things like dimming the lights, putting my phone down, getting into my pjs, making a warm drink or reading. For me, it’s less about what I do and more about the fact I’m signalling to my brain that the day is ending and it’s time to relax. Research from Sleep Foundation shows that having a consistent wind-down routine can help improve sleep and reduce mental stimulation before bed, making it easier or your mind to switch off. I’ve found that even doing one or two of these things makes a huge difference – it helps me feel calmer and a bit more in control, rather than expecting my brain to just suddenly stop.
Conclusion
Overall, when your mind won’t switch off, it can feel really overwhelming – like you’re stuck in your own thoughts with no way out. But I’ve learned that it’s not about forcing your brain to be quiet, it’s about finding small, gentle ways to support yourself.
The most important thing to remember is that there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling like this. Your brain is just trying to cope with everything you’ve got going on. Instead of fighting it, try working with it and giving some of these ideas a go. You don’t have to have to have it all figured out, and you don’t have to fix everything at once.
Even doing one small thing from this blog can help take the edge off. And if today still feels overwhelming, that’s okay too- tomorrow is a new chance to try again. You’re not alone in this, even if it feels like you are.
References
NHS Digital. (2023). Mental health of children and young people in England, 2023. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(5), 400–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.x
Sleep Foundation. (2022). Sleep hygiene. https://www.sleepfoundation.org
Thoma, M. V., La Marca, R., Brönnimann, R., Finkel, L., Ehlert, U., & Nater, U. M. (2013). The effect of music on the human stress response. PLOS ONE, 8(8), e70156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070156
YoungMinds. (2023). Exam stress and mental health. https://www.youngminds.org.uk
