Overactive Minds: Why Does My Brain Never Shut Off Unless I'm Doing This One Thing? Mindfulness

If you are anything like me, you likely notice your brain never stops working. From the moment I wake until the (fleeting) moments of sleep, I feel like it's constantly going – over, and over and over.

My morning routine usually involves a run. I wake up, get ready, take my daughter to school and spend 25 to 30 minutes running. Most of the time, I am unable to stop my brain – even when I'm running. 

"Did I pack a note in her lunch?" 

"What activities do we have tonight?" 

"My pace is so off." 

These are the types of things going on in my brain, even when I'm running. I have tried to run while listening to podcasts, with marginal success. I try to run while listening to music, but that usually makes me think of a lyric in a song, which makes me think of this guy I know … and, well, you see where that is going.

Oddly enough, the only time I do not think is when I likely should do the most thinking: on the ice. I am so focused when I am skating, that all I think of is the steps I take and what step comes next. Simply put, it is relaxing and calming.

What do you do to shut your brain off?

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