I believe you are taking it too literally. The point is to stop pursuing lines of thought and just let your mind relax. Trying vehemently not to think at all will turn out to be just another form of OCD.
You nailed it there
I have been trying to write out what my therapist taught me, but struggled to word this exact point.
Anyway for those that were curious I was taught to get into a comfy position I could maintain without having to move.
Close your eyes. If you find your body is tense, either working from head to toe or toe to head, tense your muscles for a second or two then relax them one by one, do this until you feel a bit more relaxed at least in your body.
Then try and picture something relaxing, for me it's being In a jungle or Forrest surrounded by nature, but it can be anything you find relaxing. Then just observe your thoughts, you can't stop them, that's not th point and if you try to you will break yourself out of the state, be aware of them but don't like.. follow them or dwell on them, just let them flick through your brain.
I think it's all about learning to view thoughts as not always something you have to dwell on or at least take their control over us away. I personally was so skeptical about this, but since by sleeping was fubar, I did it anyway because I had nothing else to do except stare at a ceiling, and it really has calmed my racing thoughts which use to be terrible when I tried to sleep.
I was lucky enough to have a therapist help me with this, she was doing c.b.t but her main education if you wan't to call it was very much in something called acceptance therapy which I advise people looking into
Anyway the point I was getting at is the first few times she sort of talked through it, calming words so it might very well be worth getting some relaxation tapes if you struggle to hit that relaxed state by yourself at first.
