This is Boring!
As you were reading that first paragraph, you might have found that you were thinking – “this is boring.” Or maybe you thought, I would love to attend but can’t make Mondays. Or maybe you were thinking about a family member or the work deadline or the dry cleaning that needs to get picked up. That is what Buddha termed as the “monkey mind.” Your mind jumps from one issue to the next to the next and then back again.
Yet, the more you practice calming the mind, the more you will see and be aware of the incredible benefits of living in the present. It helps to reduce stress and provides mental clarity. It also allows issues that were previously huge dramas in your life to melt away. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity for centeredness and balance?
Tricks to Control the “Monkey Mind”
In February, Forbes Magazine wrote an article titled “8 Science-Based Tricks for Quieting the Monkey Mind.” The article discusses the various techniques and the science to support each technique. The list includes:
- Learn to meditate;
- Cognitive behavior therapy;
- Practice mindfulness;
- Color, count, recite and run;
- Talk to an actual person. Barring that, write;
- Practice acceptance;
- Get outside yourself by helping others; and
- Defuse the rhetoric.
From the Forbes list, it is easy to see that controlling the chaotic mind is practice, practice and practice! Whether meditating, practicing mindfulness, expressing gratitude or coloring, it requires us to focus our minds on just one thing at a time. Not an easy task for those of us raised to appreciate multi-tasking.
Other approaches include working with someone else to stay in the present. Cognitive behavior therapy, talking to a friend and practicing how to defuse the mind’s rhetoric are approaches requiring a partner. That partner is the silent witness for us as we unload the so-called dramas or stories that we have written and are keeping us tied up in either our past or future. The past as it relates to guilt, shame, anger, grief or other feelings and the future that may bring feelings of worry or fear.
Giving Back to the Community:
And the last recommendation is one that has been known for its health and wellness benefits for decades – volunteering. The “monkey mind” seems to become aware of the present when it is helping another person. This very act provides support to the person needing the help but also just as much to the person offering the help.
So remember: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” Bill Keane
