Tame the Monkey Mind
Table of Contents
Monkey Mind Defined
Symptoms
Causes
Taming the Monkey Mind
Why Taming Your Monkey Matters
Prevention
Clarity
Reflection
Recalibration
Solutions
Awareness
Breathing
Change
Monkey Mind Defined
We have all seen monkeys at the zoo or in the wild, and they literally jump from branch to branch with high energy and are constantly in a state of swinging chaos; that's the monkey mind. It's that state of mind which feels like we are constantly swinging from branch to branch with our thoughts, focus, and energy. It's a feeling of being like a frenzied monkey jumping from branch to branch with distractions, reaction, and thoughts and ideas constantly popping up. Oftentimes, the monkey mind keeps us in a state of feeling like we're in chaos and constantly distracted, struggling to be present in the moment.
This is great for monkeys swinging from branch to branch; however, in the human mind, it can be exhausting and overwhelming to have our thoughts constantly jump from one branch to another.
Symptoms of the Monkey Mind
Often, this feels like you're a hamster on a wheel, constantly going, going, going. It can be difficult to feel grounded, at peace, and even joyful in the moment. Some other symptoms of the monkey mind include feeling distracted, like you're always in reaction mode, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, and having a hard time being present in the moment with whatever task or person is in front of you.
Causes of the Monkey Mind
There are a few causes of the monkey mind. First, as humans, we are built and hardwired to have our attention divided across multiple areas, making us really good at multitasking. We are constantly taking in information, and our mind is actually good at filtering a lot of it. Essentially, our monkey mind is a natural state designed as a reaction to our brain handling lots of information. In fact, we make about 35,000 unconscious decisions every day. Of those, only about 70 are conscious decisions. That's a lot of information for the human mind to process, and as a result, if we're not careful and don't train the monkey in our mind, our thoughts can go everywhere.
We are built to have this monkey mind as our modern life bombards us with information constantly. This constant information overload fans the flame of the distracted monkey mind and so it becomes this cycle for us unless we learn to train our minds.
Taming the Monkey Mind
Why Taming the Monkey Mind Matters
By taming your monkey mind, you're really training yourself to come back to your center and be present in the moment. At the end of the day, we all yearn for more presence and engagement in our lives and our days. We don't want to live on a hamster wheel, constantly distracted. We want to get things done, but we also want to fill our days, build more joy into them, and experience gratitude and excitement. Taming your monkey mind allows you to be grounded in the present moment, see what's really in front of you, and fuel a reverence for life.
Taming the monkey mind also has great productivity benefits because you're able to really focus on the task at hand and shut out other distractions. Being proactive instead of reactive makes you far more productive, and taming the monkey mind allows you to lead from your place of strength instead of self-sabotage.
If we can learn to tame the monkey mind, pause for a moment, and get re-centered, then we can make decisions that are in alignment with our best self and our best interests.
Preventing the Monkey Mind
There are three steps you can take to help prevent the monkey mind.
Clarity
Get clarity on what's important to you. What are your top values, priorities, and important people in your life and work? Getting clarity on what drives and moves you forward, your "why," and what you're passionate about is important because it helps you stay in line, rather than letting the monkey mind take you off on another branch.
Reflection
Be aware of whether you're actually staying in alignment with what you said is important to you. Take time to reflect on your days and weeks. Assess how often you're staying in the distracted monkey mind or staying centered and focused on your priorities and your people. This helps you move the needle forward on what you say is super important to you.
Recalibration
You're never going to be perfect, and your monkey mind will take you off track. The goal is to recalibrate, which may need to be done every single hour of every single day, and that's okay. The goal is to recalibrate to your center, the present moment, and what you say is most important to you.
Solutions
Cultivate a Monk Mind
The monk mind is the opposite of the monkey mind; it is a state where you feel centered, calm, focused, and proactive rather than reactive. Jay Shetty, who was a monk and wrote the book "Think Like a Monk," talks about fueling the monk mind and the differences between the monkey mind and the monk mind.
When you're in the state of a monk mind, you can re-center, refocus, and come to a peaceful state. These moments of peace, centering, and focus in your life can make you much happier, calmer, less stressed, and more productive.
Practice Mindfulness to Cultivate Your Monk Mind
A monk maintains a daily practice of mindfulness meditation for a reason. There's a relationship between mindfulness and a restful, focused mind. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis trains your brain to come back to the present moment. When dealing with the monkey mind, the goal is not to prevent the monkey from jumping from branch to branch because that's never going to happen. Rather, the goal is to learn how to re-center and come back to the present moment. Mindfulness teaches you how to come back to the present moment by accepting and noticing when you're distracted or jumping from branch to branch, and how to return to your center.
The more you practice mindfulness, the more progress you'll make, and the stronger your mind will get, just like physical fitness. Think of a mindfulness practice as a mental workout that strengthens your mind. With consistent practice, you get better at noticing when the monkey mind starts to jump and at bringing it back to the present moment.
Taming the Monkey Mind
Anyone can tame their monkey mind by practicing a simple A-B-C technique.
Awareness
The first step is awareness. This is simply asking yourself often, "Am I swinging like the monkey, or am I centered?" Noticing and being aware of where your energy and mind are is really the first step to getting better at this.
Breathing
The second step is breathing. If you're often in a stressed state, that stress is activating your sympathetic nervous system, which is fight, flight, or freeze. If you ever notice that you're stuck or frozen in place, procrastinating, scared, or running away from situations, it could be that you're stressed out. By breathing, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your rest and digest system. This actually calms you down and shifts you out of that state of stress, so you're in a more centered, focused place.
All you need to do is pause in that moment after you're aware that the monkey mind has taken over. Start to breathe and slow down your breath. You only need to do this for 10 seconds to two minutes. Breathe in slowly for a count of four, and then breathe out slowly for a count of four. When you slow down your breath and get centered in that moment, you're activating your body and mind to calm down, which is really powerful. It's also free and simple.
Change
The third step is to change or shift your state. You may have been going off to another branch with that monkey mind, but now that you're aware of it, you can come back to your center with your breath and be in the moment. At that moment, when you've re-centered, it's time to recalibrate. It's okay if your mind gets distracted; the goal is to come back and recalibrate often.
You get to decide what's on your mental dashboard next. Will it be the monkey mind or the monk mind? Will it be a positive, empowering thought or something you want to focus on next? Decide which it'll be and then take action.
One Degree Shifts Can Help
At One Degree Shifts, I can help you calm that chattering monkey and shift away from the stress, distractions, and self-doubt holding you back from reaching your full potential. Get in touch today and begin living with a freer, more positive, consciously-directed mind.
