Thread: Tips to stopping inner chatter?

I want to WILD, but I always talk to myself and I can't make it stop..
Can someone teach me how to think passively?
I'm stumped

Don't try to stop it, have you ever heard someone tell you not to think about something, just let yourself unwind and allow the chatter to fade out naturally, it will go faster the more you don't try to stop it. It's probably tough at first but there are other ways around it if you are struggling to relax. Give yourself 30 minutes before bed to relax, have a bath or something relaxing, try not to have many bright lights near you. Then focus on one thing, your breathing or the sensation of your back on your bed. Perhaps count down from 100, getting more relaxed with each number.
Basically allow yourself to chatter of focus/distract yourself.

Good luck and keep it up!

You should definitely not be thinking of anything too actively, including WILDing, or getting your mind all "ready" to WILD and reach SP. You just want to relax to the point where your mind is sitting on the line between wakefulness and unconsciousness, and hold it there until you do get SP. This is what makes WILD challenging at first, because it may take a few tries to find that balance - you drift off too much and you'll fall asleep, but if you focus too much and actively think about things, you'll be too awake to truly relax. While it may seem counterproductive at first, just allow your thoughts to unwind and they will eventually slow down.

What time(s) are you attempting the WILDs?

Originally Posted by Puffin

What time(s) are you attempting the WILDs?

Sorry late reply, forgot I had this thread >.<

I try to wild when I go to take a nap after eating dinner and if I wake up late at night.

Sometimes I try to do it when I go to sleep as well, but I know that's not the ideal time to do it, I'm just so excited I try it basically all the time when I enter bed

Focus on your breathing.
Or focus on something steady like that, a clock ticking is an example. Don't get stressed when you start to have inner dialogue.

Don't nap after dinner, you'll have a harder time falling asleep when you actually go to bed. Stick WILD around 4.5/6hours of sleep, otherwise you will have to wait ages for REM.

Meditation can greatly improve your ability to let the thoughts flow. Remember it's not really about keeping empty mind for 30-40minutes, it's the ability of letting them come and go. Just pretend you're too distracted with something to actually hear yourself thinking. Good luck!

One thing you can do when you to bed instead of trying, is standing still sitting in a comfortable position. Then clear your mind. Focus on your breath, and let the silence reach you. Practice makes perfect!

Yeah, I've read up on meditation, but all the guides I can find write it as if "clearing your mind" and unwinding yourself is the easiest thing in the world. They also use too complicated words :x

Originally Posted by Attempt

Yeah, I've read up on meditation, but all the guides I can find write it as if "clearing your mind" and unwinding yourself is the easiest thing in the world. They also use too complicated words :x

I know what you mean. I can not count how many times I have asked "how do you clear your mind?" and people say "Stop thinking" or something else stupd like that. I always get the most ignorant responses with that. These posts however have been pretty helpful. Thank you all. I have not tried WILDing yet as I am just not confident enough and have been feeling ill lately but I have troubles sleeping normally so a few years ago I got some new age/easy listening CD's and they make it so easy to calm down sometimes. Some people hear one song and go "This is crap" but in my opinion it is the same as all other types of music. I have heard ones that I can not stand and others that I could spend endless time focusing on the tones and wonderful undertones. The right songs just work perfectly for me. That may not be helpful at all but it is what I plan on using when I WILD. I have troubles sleeping without it. If you want someone to talk about yoru experiences with I would love to hear I find the best things for learning is hearing of others experiences.

What works for me is saying my mantras over and over. I almost immediately start feeling relaxation waves going through my body and my mind stops "the inner chatter". But first, I have to let my mind go through the events of the day for a couple of minutes.

What you could do is some focal meditation on your breathing. Give yourself 1 or 2 minutes before you start the meditation itself, just lay there and relax. Try not to focus on anything in particular, if a thought strays into your mind, don't pay attention to it. Once your body feels relaxed, start to take deep breaths in and out. If it helps, think "in... out..." but if you can, just focus on the sounds of your breathing. I find it better to not think 'in, out' it tends to make my mind a teeny weeny bit more active to the point of relaxation i'm trying to achieve.

What about songs? Can I replay songs in my head while I count breaths?

If that works for you. Personally, i can't do it, but i know some people do do that. Like Puffin said,

Originally Posted by Puffin

You just want to relax to the point where your mind is sitting on the line between wakefulness and unconsciousness, and hold it there until you do get SP.

As long as you can relax to that state of mind and hold it, you should be fine