How do you switch off at night if you're an overthinker?

[Imatorturedpoet]

I struggle to sleep at the best of times, I find it very difficult to switch off. I've tried counting, audio books, reading, meditation, various apps, relaxation exercises, rain and wave sounds etc etc.

Any other suggestions that work for you? I've had a rubbish day today and really don't want to replay everything in my head all night.

Exercise, mindfulness and meditation!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I get frustrated if I'm listening to something I'm not interested in. But also really overstimulated too. Being ND I start to count letters in words in my head for example, then get so frustrated I have to turn it off.

Counting backwards from 900 (or whatever) in 7s.
Going through the alphabet and finding something for each letter on a theme - animals, people you knew at school, groceries.
Using the army method of imagining yourself in a velvet black hammock and repeating 'don't think don't think don't think' in your head. (There was an article about it in The Guardian several years ago, worked for me.)
Using a guided sleep meditation - I listen to the ones by Great Meditation on YouTube.

Usually I use a combination of these, with an application of the L'Occitane pillow spray, which I adore.

The James Rebanks audio books are beautifully read although I usually read on Kindle. That got me into lots of shepherding/ farming books, ones about food industry, trains, transport, history. Blue Machine is quite good (about the ocean) . I've just started "stuffed" by Pen Vogler. No plot so don't draw you in.

Make lists, it has to be for something relatively boring but just interesting enough to get some focus. Suitcase packing for an upcoming holiday is a good one, planning your weeks worth of clothes, decluttering a room (unless that's like a trigger for you), Christmas card list, a PP mentioned meal planning (which wouldn't work for me as I get agitated over them), Then sometimes I imagine a future home and I decorate a room so if I retire to sea side what would my bedroom have in it.

Podcasts have changed my life. I no longer spend hours miserably chafing over minor worries and despairing that I'm not asleep. I put my phone under my pillow with a queue of podcasts lined up, earplug in the other ear (DH snores) and usually I'm asleep within an hour or two.

Just off to bed - going to try some of these suggestions! 😴

I try and empty my mind and then let random words come to me. I’m always interested to see what words appear and if they’re connected to each other or anything in my day. By just focussing on these words I find I shut everything else out and I doze off pretty quickly.

Try to recite as much of Hamlet’s soliloquy as poss.

If I ever meet Ian McKellann or some other RSC legend I hope I’m going through a tough time as that’s when I’ve got it nailed! I think rn I’m just up to the slings & arrows of outrageous fortune…

I listen to the BBC World Service.

Unfortunately it's not as relaxing as it used to be with all the war in the world these days.

Magnesium 1/2 hour before bed.

When I first met my DH he had a TV in his bedroom and said it was because he couldn't switch off and it was a distraction. I didn't understand this at the time as the general message we get is that tv at bed isn't good for switching off. I totally understand it now though as on the rare occasion I can't sleep because my brain won't shut up I do get to sleep from watching tv and being distracted from my thoughts.

Exactly my thought! Yoga does nothing for a genuine over-thinker 😂

Counting backwards from 300 in 3s or 700 in 7s is what I was told. DW never gets below 200 and I prize myself on winning and get to 0 every time. And then am wide awake. So not useful for me but might work for you.

I do a medium level sudoku and usually find myself dropping it half way through when I've got all the easier answers and have to start to think.

Lots and lots of exercise is the only thing that helps me sleep well. I’m physically too tired to lay away fretting!

I didn't know about this and have just put it on. Looks great.

As someone who has struggled with overthinking all my life, I’ve got a few strategies that work for me but others might find them too stimulating late at night.

The one thing that never fails is to do a puzzle about 10 mins before I want to go to sleep. I know it sounds counter-intuitive as in theory it’s really stimulating, but I find it puts all those crazy mind-racing thoughts to the back burner.

I can’t think about all the things that are worrying me if I’m concentrating really really hard on Octordle or Strands on the NYT app. When I’ve agonised over that for 10 mins (usually failing miserably) then I settle in with a sleep story from Headspace. No room in my head for all those mad thoughts then, banished!

I think of 5 girls names and 5 boys names beginning with A then B then C

Etc

I do a sort of meditation where I lie down, eyes closed and focus on BLACK ⚫️ everything. Pretend that I'm wrapped up in a warm black blanket, I can't see anything but black around but it's cosy, warm and comforting. When my mind wanders, I stop and focus back on the warm black cosy feeling. Eventually, I always drift off.

List words. Each word must be unrelated to the one before.
Green...butter...suitcase...chickenpox...communism...etc.

Stay up watching rubbish TV so that im too tired to overthink that night lol or next day!

Podcasts
I usually have this one on so I can barely hear it

Otherwise listing stuff a to z like fruits, countries etc. Only works if you're not going to get up and start googling what fruit begins with X though!

Nothing
absolutely nothing
I’ve tried :
the calm app with Matthew Mccauahnaghy
wine
cocodamol
CBD oil
reading
baths
NOTHING works
my brain doesn’t stop.

Piranesi audiobook. It is dreamlike.