Calming the Overactive Mind: Gentle, Trauma-Informed Tools for Living Well

leigh milne
Apr 21
4 min read

🌀 Are You Living with an Overactive Mind?

If your thoughts feel like a never-ending loop—jumping from one worry to the next, second-guessing conversations, planning for every possible outcome—then you're not alone. This week on Transcending Trauma, we explored one of the most common struggles I see in my therapy practice: the overactive mind.

This mental restlessness is often a sign of a nervous system stuck in survival mode, especially for those who have lived through chronic stress or trauma.

In this blog, you’ll find practical, body-based tools you can start using right away to gently soothe your mind and reconnect with your body.

Let’s begin with understanding how this pattern shows up.

🔍 Signs of an Overactive Mind

Do any of these sound familiar?

Racing thoughts that make it hard to focus or fall asleep
Constant planning, problem-solving, or mental rehearsing
Overanalyzing past conversations or future events
Difficulty relaxing even when there’s nothing urgent happening
A sense of pressure to always be “doing” or “fixing” something
Feeling like your thoughts are running the show—without your permission

Often, these patterns develop as protective responses—strategies your nervous system created to keep you safe. The good news? You can learn new ways to feel safe, regulated, and present.

✨ Tools & Techniques to Calm the Overactive Mind

Below are some of the most simple and effective trauma-informed practices I recommend to my clients and listeners. These are gentle, accessible, and backed by neuroscience.

🧠 1. Mindful Noticing & Thought Labeling

This practice helps you step out of the thought spiral and into the role of a calm observer.

How it works:

Notice a thought as it arises.
Instead of following it, label it with curiosity.

Examples:

“Here is my perfectionist voice saying I have to get it right.”
“There’s the inner critic trying to protect me from feeling judged or rejected.”
“Ah, here’s my anxiety planning for every possible outcome.”

Try this:👉 “I notice this thought, I name it, and I let it pass like a cloud.”

This builds awareness and breaks automatic patterns.

Practice tip: Say internally, “I see you, thank you for trying to help—but I’ve got this.” This helps soothe the survival brain and brings in the prefrontal cortex (your wise adult self).

✋ 2. Havening Touch

Havening uses self-soothing touch to down-regulate and calm the nervous system and lower cortisol (the stress hormone).

Technique:

Gently stroke your upper arms (shoulder to elbow).
Rub your palms together slowly.
Gently touch your face as though washing it.

Combine with calming phrases:

“I am safe now.”
“This moment is enough.”
“My body is letting go.”

This is especially effective during emotional overwhelm or anxiety.

There is an extended version of this that I use with my clients and it will be available shortly as a download

🔄 3. Bilateral Stimulation

Bilateral stimulation (BLS) helps activate both hemispheres of the brain, creating a calming effect that helps process trauma and regulate emotions.

Simple ways to practice:

Tap alternately on your knees or shoulders.
keep the face still while moving eyes to the left & right periphery of your vision
Use audio tracks with alternating left-right tones.
Walk while focusing on the rhythm of your steps.

Why it works: Bilateral stimulation activates both hemispheres of the brain, helping to desensitize distressing memories and regulate emotions. It’s also a core element of EMDR therapy which helps move emotional content from survival centers of the brain to logical processing areas.

🌀 4. Polyvagal-Informed Movement

Gentle movement can reset the nervous system and restore a sense of safety and presence in the body. Options include:

Rocking side to side
Humming or chanting (stimulates the vagus nerve)
Rolling the shoulders slowly
Orienting: Slowly turning the head to scan the room

These movements signal safety to the brain and help shift you from “survival” to “connection.”

Tip: Movement helps when you feel frozen, stuck, or dissociated.

💓 5. Titration & Pendulation (Somatic Practices)

Instead of diving into overwhelming emotions, somatic therapy uses “doses” of sensation to gently build resilience.

How to practice:

Notice a difficult feeling, emotion or memory for a few seconds.
Then shift your attention to a neutral or pleasant sensation (like the feel of a warm cup or your feet on the floor or the smell of your favourite essential oil).
Go back and forth slowly between the two.

This teaches your nervous system that you can feel without being flooded, building resilience and tolerance of previous triggers with a sense of safety.

💬 6. Orienting to the Present

Trauma often pulls us into the past or future. Orienting brings us back to the now.

Try this:

Look around the room slowly.
Name 5 things you can see.
Name 4 things you can hear.
Name 3 things you can feel
Name 2 things you can smell
Name 1 thing you can taste
Feel your feet pressing into the floor.

Breathe in slowly (for 4), and out (for 6).This brings a sense of safety and grounding.

💛 Final Thoughts

The overactive mind isn’t your enemy. It’s trying to protect you. These tools offer a kind and effective way to let your nervous system know: You are safe now. You can rest.

Start small. Choose one practice to try today. Healing happens in moments—not milestones.