Hi all, i have never really posted here, or properly introduced myself so here goes, my name is Mike and I'm 23 years old.

I'm seeking information about the mind, how it works, how does memory work, but first i would like to know are there any good tips out there on how to relax and clear the mind?

Any links to books or anything resourceful will be very appreciated.

- Mike

I really have no real tips but I'm not sure if anybody else will respond to this thread so I'll try and help. Just stop thinking about whatever it is your thinking and think about something simple. Relax your body. Thats all I know...it might not help.

Greetings.

Deep meditation. It varies for many, meditation is simple but different for all.

Personally the best way for I is the Rasta way. The herb, in mine and millions of others opinions, alleviates all stress.

Im speaking from the heart, even if the mods do get angry.

Bless.

I have real problems relaxing my mind due to my illness (schizophrenia) and I too would be interested in any further information

I'll explain a little about me first. My main problem is that I have so many thoughts zooming through my head it's far too distracting. I have to keep my mind active with other things (reading, posting in forums, games etc) otherwise it just starts thinking about utter garbage. I've been driven almost suicidal by it in the past.

I'm a real insomniac, but there is one trick I've learned which has about a 50% success rate. I lie quietly and pretend my body's gone to sleep, sounds weird I know lol but sometimes if I can relax my body enough I just drop off without realising it. I suppose the boringness of concentrating on relaxing works somehow.

Another thing I do is run a song through my head over and over again. If I find my mind wandering I go back to the song and maybe try to imagine it being played in a different way (Guns N Roses sung by a school choir anyone? LOL) Again the concentration on one thing seems to shut off the rest of my brain.

Reading myself to sleep sometimes works, although it has an added side effect of my husband waking up when my book falls out of my hand

Edit: Kaknelson I hear you man

Here is a link to a site which has a suggested method for meditation as well as links to other sites/resources.

This site is more scientific/psychologically inclined and can tell you a bit about what we know of the mind.

Hope these help and welcome to UM.

Hey pal, I have the same, but I figured out very good solution. Try to note every idea or thought which arises in Your mind.
Try to think about what You would like to do in the future.
Try to make some order in Your brain storm.
This helped me,

Best wishes.

hi all, i have somethg to say on relaxation and meditation....

i have read books that teach you how to relax.... i won't say that they don't help... they do... but they don't cut the root of the problem that's making ur mind wander, instead they'll help you to go away from yourself and get engaged in something that will relax your mind momentarily. but as soon as you stop doing that, you will be restless again... then what's the whole idea of relaxing, if it's going to work only till the time you are doing that job.....

i hope i am making sense....

i'll suggest you that if you want to relax and be in that state always, you'll have to reach the base of the problem...
it's very easy, all you need to do is to sit and start observing your thoughts... every thought in your mind that's making you restless is in your mind for some reason or relating to something.... so you have to look at each thought and analyse it... check the reason or the base of that thought and finish the reason or rather the cause of the thought/problem.

i can't assure you that it's gonna work, but i think you can always give it a try and lemme know if doesn't work, may be i can be some help....

thoughts should never be over you, you just need to know that it's just a thought, and you are the master and you can always kick it away.... the importance given to a certain thought in any way(may b to get rid of it), is actually wat makes the thought all the more powerful, so don't pay much attention to it, and just realise that it's just a thought and you can always find the reason, get rid of it.. and feel the relaxation that stays.......

Truly relaxing and clearing your mind is difficult in my humble opinion. Meditation is probably one of the best ways. Aim to empty your mind of all thoughts. Your aim is to "be" with no thoughts. You will find your mind is like an union. Any thought that enters your mind, stop it....next thought, stop it. A whole field of mental chatter will open up before you, all your mental functions talking to eachother. Focus on stoping each thought. Once your mind is clear you will notice a layer of talk bellow that of which you just cleared. Again stop each thought and focus on nothing, just being. You will find many layers bellow the next. You will find a few contradictions as you have to think to be aware that you are trying to stop yourself thinking. Breathing will come up, you will actualy start to see the thought impulses behind your bodies automatic functions one of the lowest down is your heart signal.....don't stop those(not sure if you can, I did not want to try). When you hit that level your brain will fill with chatter again due to the supprise at what you have just discovered and the thoughts as to whether or not you could stop your own heart. You will then have to start stopping your thoughts again as before but you will find it easier. Once you can keep your vital funtions running and stop the thought of stopping your thoughts and just "be" you may witness an unusual phenomena........which will supprise you but stay calm and observe without thinking. To do this you will have to be well rested as you will easily fall asleep which is not a medative state. The above took me about 4 hours. Don't sit in a stupid position as your muscles need to be comfortable and relaxed. You dont want stiff muscles distracting you etc... To stop thoughts the easiest way I found was to aknowledge it but say it must stop for now almost talking to your own thoughts (not out loud). It may take you many atempts to do this fully or you may manage first time, either way even if you get half way your mind should have had some rest. you will be astounded at how much is actualy going on in your mind, very noisy in there

Whoops blonde moment lol ignore me....

Ive found that reading a book, drawing, or doing something quiet helps relax my mind and clears my mind. Being alone helps as well.

First, here is a link to basic relaxation techniques, they work very well, but you must find the time each day to practice them. Even if it's only ten minutes a day, that is a start:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6261509.stm

Now if you don't find that to work, then if you are able, try doing some physical exercise. Just a slow jog for 30 minutes does wonders to remove stressful chemicals from your system while increase endorphins.

You can also try improving your diet, if you know that you need to. Also, maintaining a proper sleep schedule is HUGE, so if you are not getting a proper amount of sleep, be sure to work on that.

To sum up, practice relaxation techniques, get proper rest, execise, and eat right. If that doesn't work, seek professional help That's my 2 cents and humble opinion