Are you ruminating on ideas and problems without coming to a resolution? It’s exhausting, time consuming, and wastes your energy.

Fortunately there are many strategies to stop ruminating. As you try them, you will find some will work better than others. Try combining multiple strategies for the best results.

Here are 5 strategies to stop ruminating:

1. Occupy Your Mind

You can’t just command your mind to stop thinking about something. But you can occupy your mind on a new activity. It’s a sure way to stop hyper focusing on your problem. Try a new recipe or DIY project from YouTube, read a book, watch a movie, or call a friend or family member.

Try one or all of these things. My favorite is to try something new that requires my concentration. The goal is to refocus your mind and energy on something else.

2. Exercise

Exercise strengthens your mind as well as your body. When you exercise, your brain releases feel good chemicals called dopamine and endorphins. These are happy chemicals that will help you curb your thoughts.

Kickboxing is an excellent work out that is fun and requires focus. There is no time to dwell while you hold pads for someone else’s punches.

3. Set New Goals

Set out new goals for yourself and make sure you include deadlines. Goals without deadlines are just wishes that never happen.

Take the goal you can accomplish the quickest and break it down into steps with deadlines. Then focus your energy into achieving these steps.

4. Write Down Your Thoughts

Writing down your feelings will help you sort out the chaos in your head. Grab a paper and pen and jot down 5 minutes worth of things you have been ruminating on.

Write everything you can think of in that time. You will feel better and moving forward, writing it down will help you prioritize the things you have been thinking about.

When you are done, place the things you have written in a special worry box and let those worries stay there.

5. Create Your Plan

There is little to fret about when you have already made steps to tackle the issue on your mind. Not every problem you have been ruminating on has a solution, but that shouldn’t stop you from solving the issues that can be fixed. At the very least it will free up some space in your head.

Worrying fruitlessly is bad for your health and keeps you from living in the present. Take some time and let these strategies sink in over the next few days.

You will gradually begin to adopt some of these ideas regularly, even if only subconsciously at first, and have new tools to help you increase your mental health and overall quality of life.