Trying Not to Think About It is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter JoJo. It was released on October 1, 2021, by Clover Music and Warner Records. Following the release of her first Christmas album December Baby (2020), production began on the "time capsule project" at the start of 2021. She wanted to make a record that encapsulated the feelings she experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on her personal life, career, and confidence as a performer. The singer wrote and produced the project alongside Jordan XL, Noise Club, Dernst "D Mile" Emile II, Rob Grimaldi, Cardiak, Nikki Flores, and various other collaborators. With the exception of "B.I.D.", JoJo co-wrote every song on the album.
To promote the album, JoJo embarked on the Trying Not to Think About It Tour which began the day after its release. Trying Not to Think About It was further promoted through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year. The project included two singles: a lead single, "Worst (I Assume)", which peaked at number 25 on the Adult R&B Airplay Chart, and "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)", released on the same day of the project's release.
Upon its release, Trying Not to Think About It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, being highlighted by several music publications in their year-end lists of the top R&B albums for 2021. Although the project failed to debut on the US Billboard 200, it charted on the Top Album Sales chart at number 80 and debuted at number 56 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.
On October 30, 2020, JoJo released her fifth studio album December Baby, her first album of Christmas music. After having previously rescheduled her Good to Know Tour twice due to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she eventually canceled the tour in January 2021, noting that she was planning on having a new album released by 2022.
JoJo first announced Trying Not to Think About It project in a YouTube livestream on May 27, 2021. She labeled it as neither an album nor EP stating: "I really want it to exist in its own little moment, have it look a certain way, feel a certain way and sound a certain way." She described the release as a "time capsule" of how she felt during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying: "The pandemic made all of us come face to face not only with ourselves but with our coping mechanisms." Recording sessions for the project were generally conducted at Blackwood Studios in California with additional sessions in California's T4U Studios, Sphere Studios, Luuna's Room; Ameraycan Recording Studios and the Prescription Songs Nashville Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
On August 16, 2021, JoJo announced Trying Not to Think About It along with its lead single "Worst (I Assume)". The song was written by JoJo alongside Tiara Thomas, Carl McCormick, and Kelvin Wooten, while produced by Cardiak and Kelvin Wu10. Its accompanying music video was shot in Downtown, Los Angeles with director Alfredo Flores and was shot in one take. On the same day of the project's release, JoJo released its second single, "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)", alongside a music video also directed by Flores.
JoJo announced on her Instagram that the Trying Not to Think About It Tour would commence immediately following the release of the album. The tour was a six-date run of intimate live shows that visited Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, and Los Angeles. The show included the first live performances of songs from JoJo's fourth studio album, Good to Know. General on sale tickets went on sale on Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 am. Tiara Thomas was announced as an opening act for all tour dates, but on October 2, it was announced that due to unforeseen circumstances Thomas would only appear at the Los Angeles show. She further promoted the project through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year.
Dani Blum from Pitchfork provided a mixed review of Trying Not to Think About It, who called it her "rawest and most cohesive project to date", but also said that it "too often relies on familiar imagery".
Trying Not to Think About It failed to debut on the US Billboard 200, but it debuted on the Top Current Album Sales and Top Album Sales chart at number 51 and number 80, respectively. It also made its debut on the UK R&B Albums Chart at number 32.
Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.