Not able to shut off your brain

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Good question... I don't think of it as work (I hardly ever *do* anything with the stories), but I do expend a fair amount of effort on writing them well. Because I feel good when I compose a beautiful phrase.

I do that too, especially with unfulfilled desires, such as having a girlfriend.

Taking time to deliberately relax, e.g. reading a book and breathing slightly deeper, help to calm the mind.

Active, intense Meditation usually helps the best with this.

I remember doing this as far back as 6th grade...I couldn't sleep with my mind racing...still can't...

I can't shut my brain off. It's rather a miracle I ever manage to fall asleep.

I once wrote an essay on how I find "thinking of nothing" utterly impossible. I think it was rather good. Sadly I don't have a copy that I know of.

I would point out that I have heard the same thing from many people who are definitely not autistic.

Hmmm.....I never think of anything as work (unless somebody else is forcing me to do it). I just find myself going hook line and sinker for whatever goal has occurred to me. Maybe you've forgotten how to play? I tend to do that. If it doesn't feel like a complete waste of time, and somewhat hedonistic, it's probably not play. I must confess I have a crazy tendency to turn anything into a job of work with a glittering, high-quality goal at the end of it.

Usually when I'm trying to get to sleep!

Oh, I hope not. Do I need to spend more mindless hours playing Solitaire?

I'm no expert but I wouldn't think Solitaire would be a lot of help (it would make me think too much) - more something like drawing a picture and deliberately not trying to make it "good," just fooling with the colours for the sheer hell of it. There must be tons of different activities.

It's getting progressively more difficult to sleep as I age. The Missus used to rib me that all I had to do was lay down, and I'd fall asleep. Now I take a little antihistamine, a bit of whiskey, and when I can get them, sleeping pills. Even then my mind is talking to itself ...

Prof, first wanted to thank you for sharing the quote in your sigline; I've taken and posted it for a reminder for myself.

Secondly... I've often found some success treating my mind like an onion being peeled, pulling layers off and letting them go to take the levels of thought down under my mind is at least slow enough to dip into sleep. I don't know if physical activity is an option, but sometimes it manages to pull my overall energy down to a level that functions also. Alcohol works like a stimulant on me, so drinking never helped me in that regard.


M.

My mind also seems to take on a personality of its own at times

I believe some gifties have the same problem, from what I've heard.

Does not even child have a gift, it finding it!

Any moment where I'm not occupying my mind, it tends to take over pretty harshly. The worst times for this is when I shower and when I'm trying to go to sleep at night. I swear my brain is my worst enemy sometimes!

This is a huge issue for me, my brain never, and I mean NEVER shuts up. It's like a radio (or 2, or 3, or...) is going full blast at all times. I get trapped in thinking about subjects, memories, people, something I read or saw. It wakes me up at night and prevents me from falling asleep.

Hey this might sound weird but since I wrote this I have found a trick to get me to go to sleep. Not making fun of anybody or anything, but I bought Ghost Hunters on DVD and I can turn this on in my bed room and let it play and I go right to sleep. I dont know why, I actually like the show and all, but when it is dark and I am in my room, it helps me sleep. I guess because it is a dark show, and everybody is just whispering all the time. LOL