Calming the Monkey-Mind

According to Buddhist principals, the human mind is filled with drunken monkeys flinging themselves from tree branches, jumping around, and chattering nonstop. It means that our minds are in constant motion and generally negatively biased. Typical mind chatter can sound like to-do lists, rational or irrational fears, recalling hurt, self-judgment and catastrophizing – just to name a few.

Not only is being in this state of mind often not productive, but it can also make enjoying the present impossible, affect our concentration, our mood and can be exhausting.

Buddha taught his students to practice mindfulness in order to tame the monkey mind, not to banish it – as we all know that doesn’t work, but to form a better relationship with it and use mindfulness to help put the focus back onto the present. 

Mindfulness can take many forms. Here are my tips for calming the monkey mind. 

Recognise the monkey

It is likely that until now, we have allowed our monkey to run wild. But calling it out for what it is, can bring awareness to the state you are in and constant practice with this will be one of the biggest tools you have. 

“Shut up, she tells her monkey mind. Please shut up, you picker of nits, presser of bruises, counter of losses, fearer of failures, collector of grievances future and past.”

― Leni Zumas, Red Clocks

Don’t ignore the monkey

Sometimes this part of our mind just needs to be heard. Once we allow it to voice itself it may calm down.

Is your monkey mind trying to remind you of something that needs to be done? You could take a note of it and schedule the item so that you don’t need to worry about it anymore.

Is your monkey mind anxious about something in the future? Doing all we can to plan for the future and then letting go can be a hard thing to do. Again it’s all about practice and the consistent reminder that once we have been as pro-active as possible, we can’t control the future and very rarely will the worst-case scenario happen. 

Is your monkey mind voicing resentment over something that happened in the past?  Realising that you have unresolved feelings can lead us to deal with them better. Perhaps looking further into what it would take to let some of this go, whether it be through professional help or talking to a friend, making a start to heal old wounds might be what you need. 

“Mindfulness is the difficult art of simply replacing thinking with experiencing.”

― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Minimise Multitasking

We are hardwired to pay close attention to potential threats in our environment, which historically have been determined by cues such as noise, movement, and changes in lighting. 

Today, our homes and offices often trigger sensitivity with these same cues, and although we work hard to stay focused on the task at hand, our brains fatigue and our attention wanders – inviting the monkey mind to play. What’s more, the content of noise that appears to be in the background can make its way into our awareness, even shifting our perception of our day.

We can help tame the monkey mind by turning off unnecessary noise and stimulation whenever possible.

Keep a journal 

Journaling allows us to clarify our thoughts and feelings and gain valuable self-knowledge. It’s also a good problem-solving tool – often, we can hash out a problem and come up with solutions more easily on paper.

By establishing a regular journaling practice and setting aside a window of time each day specifically to address your monkey mind’s concerns can be an opportunity for it to be heard. If your monkey mind starts acting up at any other time of the day, refuse to place your attention on whatever thoughts it is generating.

Meditation

Meditating can be the most effective technique we can use to calm your monkey mind. By meditating we can train our minds to become still, can help us regain power and control over our thoughts and eventually silence the negative thoughts and feelings associated with the monkey mind.

It can be challenging at first, but slowing down our breathing and quieting the mind is one of the best ways to train the brain to be still. Like training muscles in the gym and resisting the pull of gravity, notice that it’s a challenge and just continue to bring your awareness back to the breath, strengthening your ability to stay in the present moment.

Stop Assigning Meaning

The thing about thoughts is that they are not always facts, but we often give them undue power by responding to them as if they are. 

What makes a thought feel real is the attention we bring to it. We make a thought into a solid object by focusing on it and relating to it as if it is an event happening in the world somewhere.

How freeing it is to know that if we do not attend to a thought, answer it, change it, identify with it and all the rest, it literally ceases to exist. If we let a thought be nothing, then that’s what it will be nothing. Learning to look from the outside at our thoughts and feelings can be a powerful technique and it can be obtained by meditation and mindfulness practice.