The chattering mind is part of being alive and kicking.
The constant chatter in my head drives me crazy at times.
What is this all about? Does everyone have it? Yes, I believe everyone does possess this ongoing discourse, sometimes known as 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 ideas drop in because of the chatter. That is exactly how this article came to be.
. . .
I’m out for my morning exercise, walking along the creek observing several giant birds gathered on a muddy island. It’s low tide, so this tiny island has appeared and is a welcome resting place for these creatures.
My mind is wrestling with questions and concerns about these odd-looking birds. What are they? Turkey vultures or wild turkeys? Why are they here? Questions abound unanswered.
I’m a curious person, and I want clarification. My mind is turning over possible answers. I have forsaken my plan for a quiet, serene walk, giving my mind a respite from the jabbering.
. . .
Yesterday I spent the day with my son, and our conversation turned to this subject of mind talk — giving birth to this article.
He, too, suffers from it. Suffer is a word I use for the times the chatter is an annoyance and not a help. However, as I said, we need this voice.
It is the voice of reason, of intellect, of creativity. Without this voice, we would perish.
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 as during the usual “operating hours.” Yogis advise us to let those thoughts wander on by and not give them any mind when meditating.
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 described as a mind that is unsettled, capricious, restless, whimsical, and fanciful.
I like the idea of a whimsical and fanciful mind — it’s appealing to me. Unsettled, capricious, restless? Not so much.
. . .
I have a relative, a young woman concerned with her future. She wonders if she is achieving all she could 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, the incessant monkey mind.
It is in these moments that the mind needs to take a break. We can give it a rest by taking a breath, a purposeful breath.
Maybe 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. In other words — meditate.
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, if meditation is not possible.
Taming the monkey mind is critical to living a peaceful life. It isn’t once and done, though. The management of our chatter is an ongoing process.
Allow the positive thoughts to thrive while giving notice to the unproductive ones that their time is up.
We have beautiful, brilliant, and creative minds capable of designing a life we cherish.
"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.
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