5 Proven Ways to Clear Your Mind and Feel Calm

Have you ever had those nights when your brain just feels busy? And no matter what you do, you just can’t shut off your stream of thoughts?  

When your mind is whirring, getting to sleep can often feel impossible. From clock watching to next day worries, we’ve all experienced the frustration of nights when we just can’t drift off, no matter how many sheep you count. 

And you’re not alone. For two-time World Champion and Winter Olympian skeleton racer Matt Weston, battling a busy brain and intrusive thoughts has been key to his success on the track.  

In a high adrenaline sport like skeleton (which involves hurtling headfirst down an icy track at almost 90mph), you’d be forgiven for thinking that relaxation would be the last thing on Matt’s mind. Not so! According to Matt, his ability to stay calm is a key competitive advantage when he’s racing. 

“I’ve been doing this for nine years, and I’ve been specifically working on mindset for eight of them. I might have thought I nailed it three years ago, but then something else has changed,” he admits. 

“It sounds funny, but to go fast on the track, you need to be quite relaxed on the sled. If you’re tensed, it takes energy out of the sled, and you’re not going to go as fast even if you have exactly the same lines. I need to hit almost 90 miles an hour, and I’m faster when I’m relaxed.” 

Not only has Matt’s mastery of mindset helped him become a two-time World Champion, but it’s also been a necessary reality of competing in a sport where things can change in an instant.  

“I’ve had situations where between runs, my coach has been taken to hospital because he’s collapsed. But I’m able to still make myself calm and ready. There’s a lot of stuff going on around me, but it doesn’t matter. It’s almost like blinkers. 

“I’m still able to put myself in that mindset, to go and race and perform even when there’s chaos going on around me.” 

Beyond the track, Matt’s lessons in staying calm have helped him deal with the stresses and pressures of being away from home so frequently, and ensure he can still relax and enjoy peaceful sleep wherever he is.  

Let’s dive a little deeper into his tips for a restful wind down. 

1. Follow a set routine

Matt’s first rule for clearing your mind and restoring calm is sticking to a routine. Talking yourself through the key steps you want to follow, what comes next and how each step makes you feel can help focus your thoughts and avoid intrusive worries sneaking in.  

This might just be a few steps that help you to wind down, whether it’s a warm shower or few pages of your favourite book before bed, but for Matt, this starts from the moment he wakes up:  

“I don’t just turn up to the block, get ready and go. It starts from when I wake up on race day morning, how I approach getting my stuff ready, how I get changed in the changing room, what my warmup looks like, what music I listen to and everything like that.” 

To help you start to build a bedtime routine that works for you, use our Sleep Calculator to find your perfect bedtime, and work backwards from there.  

2. Don’t skip your wind down

After a busy day, your first thought might be just to hit the lights and hop straight into bed. In Matt Weston’s experience, this can often lead to nights spent staring at the ceiling, thoughts racing. To avoid this, it’s important to reserve time at the end of the day to unwind, Matt says. 

“When I’m racing, say at 6pm or 7pm, I need to be pumped up and ready to go. When I get home, even if it’s late, I’ll take an extra half an hour or 45 minutes to deliberately wind myself down. That could be with meditation, going for a walk or speaking to people back at home; just deliberately taking that time to wind down.  

“If I got home, showered and jumped straight into bed, I’d still be wide awake! I need to deliberately take that extra bit of time to calm down.” 

3. Try mood-shifting music

Sometimes, when your thoughts are just a bit too loud, giving your brain something else to focus on can help to shift the balance, so you can drift off undisturbed. For Matt Weston, music (ironically!) helps him quiet the noise when he needs to focus: “One of the reasons why I listen to music is because when you do, it stops your brain from being able to think as much, so it stops those intrusive thoughts.” 

Eventually, you might even find your brain begins to associate certain tracks with certain moods, promoting sleepiness when you need it. This has certainly been the case for Matt when he’s getting ready to race. 

He explains: “When I first started using music, I used to have the same playlist and genre all the time. I’ve now adapted that to be able to react to the mood I’m in at the race.  

“If I’m feeling a bit nervous or under pressure, I’ll have something a bit more chilled out, Whitney Houston or something silly like that, just to take my mind out of racing.” 

4. Soothe with self-talk

It might be challenging at first, but rewriting negative thoughts into soothing self-talk can help you reclaim your calm when it’s time to unwind. This involves shifting your inner dialogue to positive thoughts that make you feel peaceful. For Matt Weston, these affirmations help to combat negative worries.  

“If intrusive thoughts do creep in, I use a lot of self-talk like, ‘Calm, smooth. You’ll be fine. You’ve got this.’ I probably look like a right weirdo in the changing room, but I don’t really care what I look like if I’m winning!” 

5. Redirect your thoughts with meditation

If you need a little help redirecting your thoughts, guided meditation is a tried and tested technique for finding a little inner calm – and Matt Weston’s a fan! “Meditation’s really helpful to me when I’m in the [racing] season,” he says. “Mainly for dealing with the stress and pressure of racing, but also to help me reset for sleeping. Because if I sleep well, I know I’ll race well. 

“It’s only 10 minutes, and sometimes it’s hard to find the time when you’re busy, but whenever I do take the time to do it, I give myself a little pat on the back.” 

For a little sleep shortcut when you need it, try these techniques for soothing your body and mind into rest. 

• Military Sleep Method: This army favourite uses full body relaxation to help you drift off in just two minutes. 
• 4-7-8 Method: This technique uses yogic breathing to help manage sleep anxiety.  
• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: This method uses self-soothing and mindfulness to help you feel connected to your surroundings.  

Racing thoughts can feel overwhelming, but you can take control of your mindset and enjoy better sleep with the benefit of Matt’s many years spent honing techniques for staying calm and releasing negative thoughts. If you’re worried about the impact racing thoughts are having on your sleep or waking life, speak to a healthcare professional.  

Dreams will be backing Matt Weston, our Team GB ambassador, at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, where we’ll once again be the Official Sleep Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB.