So, you wish your mind would just shut up and leave you alone for a bit...

Or perhaps you want to be mindful of the moment and you almost get there and then some annoying thought comes in...

Or you are sitting in meditation and would like some clear space for it to be about a true present awareness, but every time you find a space some clutter comes in to crowd it...                    

Try this:

Almost all our random thoughts fall into one of three categories:

Replaying        Rehearsing        Fantasising

We are either going back over where we've been, or we're working out (usually unrealistically) where we might be going, or we're just in our heads imagining things.  There's a place for each of these (in moderation), but not when we are trying to be truly present, or when we really want a break.

When you notice that you're aimlessly thinking, give it one of these categories, no more, just call it one of those three words in your head and the thought itself will dissolve.  Every time a thought is there do the same thing.  

It works because the process of categorising is just strong enough to 'take over', but not too strong so that it starts off another lot of thinking.

This and other tips for mindfulness, meditation and just living in "Stillness in Mind" by Simon Cole (Changemakers Books 2014) available on Amazon and from bookshops

"Not your usual meditation book" - www.stillnessinmind.com