Get the Monkey off Your Back
Last weekend I was sorting through old files and getting rid of crap. In one of those files I found a list of "Monkey Mind Symptoms" that came from the first life coach I ever hired over twelve years ago.
Monkey Mind is a term coined by Buddhists referring to the self-limiting beliefs that run rampant in your brain. It refers to the thoughts you have that cause you to feel anxious or worried. Monkey Mind tells you that you are not good enough, it helps you make excuses, it keeps you a victim or a martyr, it allows you to place blame or be judgmental and countless other distractions from the present moment and your peace of mind.
Mindfulness helps you become aware of the thoughts you think. When you practice mindfulness and meditation you begin to see the truth, you are not your thoughts. Thoughts are just ideas created by your brain based off experiences you have had. When you understand this you reach a new level of empowerment. You can choose a new thought. You can make friends with your thoughts. You can choose to see Monkey Mind for what it really is, made up BS that doesn't serve you.
When you realize you and your thinking are the root of your problems you may for moment feel frustrated and question how great self-awareness is. Even after all these years of meditating and now teaching mindfulness passionately, I still realize new things about my thinking that challenge me. For example last night I realized I had a fear of being "too much." All the time I spent doubting my worth and now I realize "too much" exists within my thinking.
Do you experience Monkey Mind? Sometime today take five minutes to yourself to just be still. This is the only way you can find out what is really going on upstairs. Your mind will tell you that you need to do this and that and lead you to countless other things. Your job is to lead it back to your breath each time and to do so for five minutes. Notice the thoughts you think. Notice how you feel about them. Take a few minutes to journal about this experience.
If you would like to dig a little deeper into your thinking please set up a free Focus Session https://amymccae.as.me/focussession
This month I have been offering a 40 minute Zoom session to do a personalized meditation. YOU GET THE AUDIO TOO!
Many Blessings to you,
Amy McCae
Executive Trainer and Coach, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher
ROI metrics | Strategic Planning & Implementation | Custom IT & IS Solutions
5yFrequently. When it gets more than a small distraction, I like to stop what I'm doing and look around. If I have a small mess on my desk or workbench, I clean it up. If I'm feeling scattered, I make a list of all the things I feel pressured to get done and then I set numerical values based of priority. It feels nice to physically cross something off when I'm feeling overwhelmed.