Here’s a post about what to do about having ‘monkey mind’.
My definition of monkey mind is when my thoughts run all over the place and I don’t seem to have any control over them. It’s like watching a monkey dart up and down the branches of a tree chasing another monkey or in search of a nut to eat.
It often happens that I can be sitting peacefully, enjoying the moment, but at any time, some pesky thoughts will arise that want my attention. If I’m not careful and follow those thoughts, the next thing I know, I’m not in that moment anymore: I’ve followed those monkey-like thoughts right down into some nasty little hole that might be hard to get out of once I’m there.
I often tell my clients, “The part of you that is observing your thoughts is not of them.” So if I’m sitting there peacefully, and I see a thought pop up that wants to distract me, I have about a nanosecond to decide not to follow it. I can say instead, “Nope, you nasty little thought, I’m not going to give you any attention, I’m not going to follow you. I’m going to sit right here and be in this moment, and you can just keep going without me.” Believe it or not, if I catch it before it catches me, the thought usually just disappears into thin air. And that’s the funny part: It came out of thin air to begin with.
Not giving your thoughts so much power is a liberating experience. After attending many silent retreats, I’ve learned this truth over and over again. When you go on a silent retreat, you make an agreement with yourself. No matter what comes up, you just stay seated and you watch. And you watch and you watch, and you breathe, and you itch sometimes, and you weep sometimes, and you just stay in silence. Pretty soon, the thoughts that come up and try to lure you away just disappear, and the the itches go away, and the tears go away, and the anxiety, and the anger, and the sadness and the joy: It all just rises up and passes away.
See if you can observe the tricks your mind likes to play on you and to stay silent and not let the thoughts take you away from where you are. If your monkey mind wakes you at 3 a.m. and you lie there not being able to go back to sleep due to it’s activity, try taking deep breaths to calm your body and still your mind. Sometimes I move my feet back and forth and just that little bit of activity, brings me into the moment and out of the trap of my mind activity. Try staying silent for a few moments each day and watch – it’s worth it not to react to everything that wants your attention. Stay calm and centered in yourself.
Remarkably, life will continue on just fine without your having to comment on every part of it. In your silence, you’ll discover a well of love and safety within yourself that cannot be disturbed by anyone or anything unless you let it.
Let the monkeys try to create havoc! I’ll not have it, at least not in this moment.
Kathleen