5541 Highway 10 East, Suite B
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Phone: (715) 345-9690
Fax: (715) 345-2938
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Welcome to ‘Ask Audra’ page.  This page is devoted for you to post questions, comments, and/or ideas for yourself and other readers.  Simply email audra@newdirectionscc.com with questions, comments, and/or ideas.  Your submission may be chosen to feature anonymously in this page.  Audra will respond privately to all other inquiries.  Any and all correspondence with Audra is confidential.

Q - “I can’t seem to relax.  My mind is often running non-stop and I can’t turn it off.  Any suggestions?”

A - This is a phenomenon that seems to impact most everyone at one point or another.  What’s important to gauge is the frequency, content of your thoughts, and the consequences to your wellbeing of this occurrence.  Do you know that 90% of your thoughts today, you had yesterday?  That means often we are repeating the same thoughts, over and over again, and allowing our thoughts to take over us.

There are many skills to work with in ‘slowing down’ or ‘turning off’ those running thoughts.  A large part of this is setting the intention to do just that.  Often we allow the thoughts to take over and wonder why we feel so upset.  The following is a start of ideas and skills to practice on your own to give yourself peace of mind.

1.  Set your intention.  When you catch your mind running, chuckle at yourself and tell yourself to STOP.  Develop or find an inspirational quote or affirmation to purposely replace your running thoughts  with in that moment.  A great place to find affirmations or quotes that will inspire you is by authors, Wayne Dyer or Louise J. Hay.

2.  Mindfulness Exercises - Just like our physical body needs exercise, so do our minds.  We need to replace our same-old running thoughts with new experiences to keep it agile and aware.  Like physical exercise, we need to start mindfulness exercise in small increments and increase over time.  Mindfulness exercises have no boundaries when it comes to practicing them.  You can take any activity and make it ‘mindful.’  What does this mean?  Essentially, practicing mindfulness means giving your full mind (attention) and senses to one activity.  We become mindful often when we engage in activities that we really love.  For example, watching a movie that is really good.  There is not much else going on in our minds when we are in that space.  Also,  think of a child you know right now.  Children (including yourself when you were young) lived in the moment, mindfully. 

Get creative when practicing mindfulness exercises.  Some examples may be becoming mindful with eating/chewing, watching a lit candle, or taking a mindful walk.  The importance is remembering to give your all (including all your thoughts) to that one activity.  When / If you notice your mind wandering, just notice and put your focus back on the activity.  I recommend starting these exercises as low as 10 seconds and upward. 

3.  Think of ’What’s Right’ (instead of What’s Wrong) - Often our minds wander to worry, fear and negativity.  Our culture, influences, and media have often conditioned us to think about what is going wrong, feeling fear and worry, and sometimes, worst case scenarios.  When you catch yourself in the negative thinking, stop and shift your thinking to what is going right and well.  Often, inspirational cues can help us stay in the positive mind-frame.

4.  Art of Letting Go - I recommend you to consider learning the skill of ‘letting go.’  I call this an art because it takes trust in yourself and the world you live in to do so.  Sometimes, people mistake the skill of ’letting go’ with “I give up.”  This is entirely different.  ’Letting Go’ (of your thoughts, worries, fears, etc…) is freedom of the mind.  It’s for-giving - allowing you the freedom to have control only with yourself and your actions, and the trust to know that the rest is uncontrollable.

5.  Therapy Support - Often, people find significant relief when engaged in therapy.  A therapist can be an excellent resource for ideas, support, and guidance to promote healing and wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. 

This is just the beginning to many options for you to consider in slowing down your running mind.  If you have a desire to learn these and other techniques, and would like support of a professional therapist, you can call me to make an appointment at (715) 345-9690. 

Best Wishes,
Audra