almost any discipline requires Practice Practice Practice...

you may be improving in your efforts in such small amounts each time that you don't notice them. wanting instant results will usually be discouraging.

what i did for a long time was set my mind to an imaginary task, for me it was building houses, and focus on that task in great detail, returning to it night after night until i fell asleep. it's a little harder in the day-time, since there are often interruptions.

i used an auditory (sound) therapy to help me not focus on my thoughts. you can search online for the Binaural Beats, they come with sound tracks over them, so search til you find ones you like. they also come in a variety of 'levels', which are called hz (hertz) and the lower ones are the calmest (422 - 444,, in that range is about the lowest). often people find that these put them to sleep, so NEVER listen to them while driving or doing anything requiring your attention, and ALWAYS listen to them using stereo earphones, since they work by seperating the sound that goes into each ear.

if you would like to know more about the Binaural Beats, you can read about them at CenterPointe.com, or PM me for more info. best wishes~