Is It Possible to Quiet That Annoying and Pesky Chattering Monkey Mind?
Does the constant chatter in your head drive you crazy, or are there benefits to the jabbering?
Did you hear what Susan said about Tom? I can’t believe she could be so mean. He didn’t do anything to deserve that.
What is this mind chatter all about? Is this “monkey mind?” Does everyone have it?
I believe so.
But don’t be so quick to try and eliminate it entirely.
This ongoing discourse between our mind’s voices can be a nuisance.
At other times this voice is guidance. It can warn us of impending danger or remind us of an important task we need to accomplish.
I love it when inspiration drops in because of the chatter. Without our chatter, creation is impossible.
Even when our mind is conjuring up a piece of art — there is chatter. A valuable, helpful, imaginative voice.
Corralling the chatter
I spent the day with my son yesterday, and our conversation turned to this subject of mind talk. I told him my issues regarding how this mind chatter can be annoying and distracting.
He, too, suffers from it. Suffer is a word I use when the chatter is an annoyance and not a help. However, as I said, we need this voice.
The chattering mind is part of being alive and thinking.
It is the call of reason, intellect, of creativity. Without this input, serious troubles could befall us.
The trick is how to calm it when it is not serving us. How to quiet the mind?
For sure, meditation is a welcome remedy. The problem is thoughts appear during meditation, as well. Yogis advise us to let those thoughts wander by and not give them any attention.
Continued practice of letting the thoughts go will make it easier to quiet the mind in the future, albeit easier said than done.
It was Budda who coined the term Monkey Mind thousands of years ago, stating:
Just as a monkey swinging through the trees grabs one branch and lets it go only to seize another, so too, that which is called thought, mind, or consciousness arises and disappears continually both day and night.
Monkey Mind is also a mind that is unsettled, fickle, restless, whimsical, and fanciful.
I like the idea of a whimsical and fanciful mind — it’s appealing to me. Unsettled, fickle, restless? Not so much.
Unsettling chatter
I have a relative, a young woman in her 30s concerned with her future. She wonders if she is achieving all she can at this age.
Is there something else she is meant to do? Shouldn’t she be a homeowner by now, she asks? Or married? At the very least, have a boyfriend?
She is plagued by the neverending questions pulling at her mind, her ongoing monkey mind.
I have suggested to her it is in these moments that the mind needs to take a break. She can give it a rest by taking a purposeful breath.
Take that breath a step further by concentrating on your breathing or chanting a favorite word or phrase to change the course of your thinking.
Being fully aware that our thoughts are going into places we don’t want to venture is the clue to take a mindful breath, at the very least.
You don’t need to believe every thought you have. You have the right to change them at any moment.
Yes, you are in charge of your thoughts.
Taming the chattering mind is critical to living a peaceful life. It isn’t once-and-done, though. The management of our monologue is an ongoing process.
Allow your positive thoughts to thrive while giving notice to the unproductive ones that their time is up.
In the attitude of silence, the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. — Mahatma Gandhi.
We have beautiful, brilliant, and creative minds capable of designing a life we cherish.
