Не бери в голову.

Literally, it means something like Don’t take it into your head.

In natural English, the idea is usually:

• Don’t worry about it
• Don’t take it to heart
• Don’t let it bother you
• Don’t dwell on it

So the literal image is about not letting something get stuck in your mind.

Бери is the imperative (command form) of брать, meaning to take.

So:

• брать = to take
• бери = take! / be taking!

With не, it becomes:

• не бери = don’t take

Here it is addressed to one person in an informal singular way.

This is about aspect.

Russian often prefers the imperfective imperative in negative commands when the meaning is don’t do that / avoid doing that.

• брать = imperfective
• взять = perfective

So:

• Не бери в голову = the normal, idiomatic way to say Don’t take it to heart / Don’t let it get into your head

A form like не возьми в голову would sound unnatural here.

This is a very common pattern:

• Не делай этого = Don’t do that
• Не говори так = Don’t say that
• Не бери в голову = Don’t take it to heart

Because this expression uses motion toward the head/mind, not location in the head.

Compare:

• в голову = into the head → accusative
• в голове = in the head → prepositional

The idiom is built with в + accusative:

• брать в голову = to take something into one’s head, to let it affect you mentally

So голову is the accusative singular of голова.

Russian often leaves things unstated when they are obvious from context.

In English, we might say:

• Don’t take it to heart
• Don’t get it into your head
• Don’t let that bother you

In Russian, the idiom не бери в голову works without an explicit object. The thing you should not worry about is understood from the situation.

Also, Russian does not need a separate word for your here. The expression naturally implies your own head/mind.

It is informal conversational Russian.

Because бери is the singular informal imperative, you would say it:

• to a friend
• to a family member
• to someone you speak to with ты

For polite or plural you, use:

• Не берите в голову

That works for:

• one person addressed as вы
• multiple people

The usual form is:

• Не бери в голову.

But Russian word order is flexible, so you may also hear:

• В голову не бери.

That version gives a bit more emphasis to в голову.

Still, for a learner, Не бери в голову is the safest and most standard version to remember.

In real life, it is overwhelmingly understood as an idiom.

A literal reading like don’t take something into your head is technically possible, but in normal usage people hear it as:

• don’t worry about it
• don’t let it get to you

So it is best learned as a fixed expression, not as a word-for-word phrase.

It is usually closer to:

• don’t worry about it
• don’t let it bother you
• don’t take it personally

It can sound comforting, reassuring, or dismissive depending on tone.

For example, it might be said after:

• criticism
• an awkward mistake
• bad news that is not worth obsessing over
• something mildly upsetting

It does not usually mean forget it in the sense of never mind, cancel that. For that, Russian would use other expressions.

Yes. A few close ones are:

• Не принимай близко к сердцу.
  = Don’t take it to heart.
  This is very close in meaning.

• Не переживай.
  = Don’t worry.

• Не волнуйся.
  = Don’t be anxious / don’t worry.

• Не заморачивайся.
  = Don’t get hung up on it / don’t overthink it.
  More colloquial.

Among these, Не бери в голову has a slightly idiomatic, conversational feel and suggests don’t let this get stuck in your mind.

The stress is:

• Не бери́ в го́лову

A rough pronunciation guide:

• nye bye-REE v GO-luh-voo

Notes:

• бери́ is stressed on the last syllable
• го́лову is stressed on the first syllable
• unstressed o in Russian is reduced in pronunciation, so it does not sound like a full English o

So if you want to sound natural, make sure the stresses are:

• бери́
• го́лову