What is ‘Monkey Mind’ and what can we do to control how it affects us?
Monkey Mind is the constant ‘chattering’ of thoughts in our heads – which can feel and sound just like the non-stop noise of a troop of excited monkeys.
…confused, fanciful, indecisive, restless, uncontrollable, unsettled, whimsical…
Along with many others, the above words can be, and have been used to describe ‘Monkey Mind’.
This was originally a Buddhist term from over 2000 years ago, yet is now used quite commonly in today’s world.
The mind’s job is to think, and it is impossible to stop this happening. Our brains never turn off because their default mode is to be active and productive. Even when we are asleep the brain will keep firing. It has been part of our survival mechanism for millions of years, so that we can respond and make decisions quickly. It helps us choose ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ rather than freeze when faced with a stressful situation.
So, we definitely need a monkey mind – but in a controlled state. We must not let ‘it’ control us! This is when it gets too much, and can be disruptive and cause us to suffer health problems. We get stressed, depressed, anxious, tired, ill, grumpy, gain aches and pains, have no energy, become unproductive and procrastinate, our blood pressure rises, our immune system fails.
When our mind gets over-stimulated, we begin to struggle with the monkey chatter. Fear and distractions are usually the most common causes of making the monkeys grow worse, because for some reason the mind loves to naturally hang on to the negative thoughts and the quick but unhelpful dopamine fixes.
It’s like a reel or stream of endless thought running through your mind. As soon as one clears the next has already pushed its way in.
Most of the thoughts are things that we can really do without because they are not important. The amount of distraction we are subjected to through the media and all our devices these days only serves to constantly bombard us with more and more notions, and often things that don’t really affect us in any way or have anything to do with us.
The other kinds of thoughts come from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. We can’t do anything about those past things now, so let’s just learn from them and move on. The things that might or might not happen in future – well we can deal with them when and if they arise, put a plan in place if you like. All this is easier said than done though.
The good news is - there are ways in which we can tame the monkey mind and learn to overcome it.
These are some of the most useful methods I have found (in no particular order):
Meditation: Practising meditation teaches you to better observe and redirect thoughts. Over time you can calm the mind, and reduce the amount of thoughts flowing through at any time. Finding a stillness can help to clear the clutter. The monkey becomes much tamer over time and with practice.
Turn off devices / technology: Spending a short time each day without your devices or any technology can help to stop and control the constant stream of thoughts being pushed onto you. Allow yourself some time just to be you and stop feeding the monkey.
Exercise in nature: Exercise is good for the brain/mind, and so is being outdoors in nature. Exercise provides its own dopamine effect. Nature has a calming effect. So why not combine the two together? Walking in the countryside, or doing some Pilates or yoga in the park, can be quite uplifting, pushing the monkey down and keeping it at bay for a while.
Mindfulness: Perform some task mindfully each day. This means really focusing on the present moment in time and concentrating on just what it is you’re doing. Use all your senses to experience the here and now, without being distracted by anything else. The more time you spend being mindful, the more the monkey learns to stay quiet.
Journaling: Whenever the chatter is getting too much – stop – sit down with a pad and pen, and start to write down all the thoughts. This way you are taking them out of your head and putting them on the paper to be dealt with at an appropriate time. Write whatever comes into the mind. Once you’ve wrote it all down you will find that you stop thinking about the things. Maybe because you know you won’t forget about them now they’re wrote down, or because it’s like you’ve talked to someone about it just by writing it out. Whatever the case – the monkey sometimes just needs to be listened to and acknowledged for it to quieten down.
If you have trouble with your monkey mind, maybe you could try some of the above. It’s about finding what works for you and your monkey.
If you would like to learn to meditate and relax, or participate in mindful Pilates exercise, please see my website www.gemmataylorhealthfitness.co.uk for information on classes, courses and workshops.