“How do I stop my ‘monkey mind’, i.e. incessant thinking & chatter inside my head?”
Great question, which is why I thought I’d answer it here, with the …
So, first thing …
Do NOT worry about the fact that you have a MONKEY MIND
It’s perfectly normal. And while there are ways to slow it down (which I’ll get to a minute), right now it is what it is. Any anyway, wanting it stop, will only make it worse. It’s like trying not to think of elephants when someone tells you not to think of elephants.
Relax, everything is all perfectly good and fine as it is.
Second thing …
Your best friend talks a lot
So you’ve got this really verbose friend. And they’re really sweet and really truly want the best for you, even though they hardly stop for a second to listen to what you have to say. (You know the type – you’ve just heard every last detail of their root canal but they still haven’t asked how you are.)
This verbose, well meaning friend – you got it – it’s your mind.
Thirdly…
Your mind doesn’t have a blinking clue what it’s talking about most of the time.
If you read my book 7 Secrets Your Mind Doesn’t Want You to Know – you’ll remember that your mind is like a big computer sitting on top of your neck. And, if you know anything about computers, you’ll know they’re not smart – they just kind of compute things. Which is why most of what it’s saying is rubbish.
Are you following me …
Your mind is a really good friend. Who cares about you a lot. In fact, that’s all it does – it’s a friend with no life of its own – who, frankly, probably hasn’t taken a break in a long time. A really good friend who is trying REALLY hard to keep you safe. All that chatter that’s driving you crazy – that’s your mind trying to help you. (I know).
All that worry you’re feeling – not real. And you know how you don’t feel good about yourself sometimes? Also not true, because the truth is YOU do feel completely calm. AND you are TOTALLY in love with yourself. AND you feel self assured and confident …
You just can’t hear it so much at the moment because of all the chatter!
And the only way I know to stop the chatter, is to do nothing. As in be silent. The more you can do it – the less your mind will chatter. It’ll get sick of you not listening to it, and it’ll quieten down.
(And I know that when your mind is racing this seems next to impossible. But if you can remember you don’t have to stop it thinking, you’ll find it slows down more quickly.)
So tonight, instead of turning on the television, pour yourself a cup of Yerba Mate (or whatever herbal tea/cozy beverage you prefer) and stare at the blank screen.
And instead of engaging with your mind, try taking a step back back and noticing it. Sort of like. oh jeepers, are you still worrying about that?
And remember …
