Trying To Keep Those Monkeys Out Of My Head
“I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the ‘monkey mind’ — the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl.” – Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love
)
I’ve read about meditation. I’ve read several different books on the subject and even a few magazines. I’ve been given many different ideas and techniques. I have still failed miserably. I always feel as if I’m doing it wrong.
Like Elizabeth Gilbert, I am burdened with the ‘monkey mind’. I sit still and my mind races. I end up thinking about the usual….I don’t have a job, I need to organize my office, I need to get a job, I need to go grocery shopping, I have to get a job, etc. My mind is a dark and anxious place. I don’t feel productive unless I’m doing something, anything. Usually that something is just beating myself up, but nonetheless, that’s what happens every time I try to meditate.
My much more zen-like sister has found a local Buddhist meet-up group that hosts a bi-weekly guided meditation. As I am also intrigued by Buddhism, I’m going to go with her tonight. Clearly I need guidance in this area.
I hope it works for me and that, at the very least, I can stay focused on the meditation and keep those damn annoying monkeys out of my head.
Thanks for stopping by!
LMAO! Goofball!
It’s hard for me too…..when I notice my mind is “on” I just try to stay in my breathing. They told me at the last meeting to count to ten with each breath and then back down to one. This really helps me stay in the moment of the meditation. And I try to concentrate on my breathing-that I am taking full breaths and exhaling all the way.
Can’t wait!
Very wise move.
Focussing on my breathing works for me too. So does focussing on just one word. On the flip side….when I find it hard to go to sleep at night because my mind just won’t turn shut up, I focus on my breathing and eventually drift off to sleep. So what’s the difference….when meditating I’m sitting up so I don’t have the urge to go to sleep. Well, that’s my 2 cents worth of wisdom. Good luck!
Monkey mind – I like that! I suffer from the same thing, too. I’m a very anxious person, and when left alone in my own head I worry myself sick.
I had a stress management coach who taught me meditation … emptying your mind from stressful thoughts. Recognizing them is the challenge, quieting them is the other. So worthwhile. Sorting reality from illusions born of thoughts.
So Much More-
What Mom doesn’t immediately think “no more monkeys jumping on the bed (or in my head)!”
Random, but there is a lovely storefront Buddhist Meditation Center in Oak Park-I think you are from Chicago area, right? I went with my 20 year old daughter as she is interested-she of course slept the whole time, but I thought the Nun was fab with a great sense of humor and compassion.
Second, when I get that Crazy Town thing happening in my head, I have to sit down and make a list of times and tasks to guide me through. Almost like my own internal Mom there to make me focus. Getting quieter doesn’t help me, action does.
Love your posts!
http://www.i-grew-up.com
I can’t wait to hear how tonight goes.. please keep us posted. And you know how I love EPL, I’ve actually been working on a post involving it as well, LOL. We always seem to be right in sync:)
Monkey mind is what keeps me up at night. Argh! Not good when it’s 2 AM and you have to breastfeed in 4 hours.
I think you are on the right track. You need to be guided in the initial stage. Please keep us posted on how it went tonight. Thanks.
how did it go? i took a workshop a couple of years back for several weeks on mindfulness techniques and meditation — at the time, i was dealing with a job change, still coming to grips with my father’s death, and all this marital sh*t.
the instructor taught us to simply distance ourselves from those “monkey minds” — we could not realistically expect those thoughts to disappear, but we could just observe them go by, and not pay them attention, and focus on our breathing, we would deal with the thoughts later when we were done.
i stink at meditation — my mind starts whirling — but this did work for me once i realized i did not have to “clear” my mind. what happened for me is i got beyond the “thoughts” and into excruciating psychic and spiritual pain. i could not stick with it, but it was what made me realize how damaged and hurt i was (am), and how much pain i am carrying with me every day.
Curious how the classes went? I have been off work for 3 months and am just going back next week, full time. My mind was racing before, and I can’t imagine how fast it will race after I start back up again. No win situation I think sometimes.
Cindy, I can soooo relate to everything you are saying. I recently read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and he talks a lot about living in the moment. I find my mind, like your goes on and on…..I am not enjoying the moment I am in because I am to busy thinking about the next thing I need to be doing. If I am playing with one of the kids, my mind is focused on the pile of dishes and the laundry I need to be doing, and then I am beating myself up because I am not paying proper attention to my child. And the amazing thing is that the kids pick up on it, kids are always in the moment. I have learned to take breaths and get into that moment because I won’t ever have it again!
Ugh….I don’t miss those days AT ALL!
It’s funny that you say that. I immediately thought of finding a graphic of a bunch of monkeys jumping on a bed! Then I remembered the scary, creepy monkeys from the Wizard Of Oz and thought that fit better. Yep, I’m in the Chicago Suburbs. Thank you!
Thank you!
I can’t wait for you EPL post, and of course I’ll write about my meditation experience!
I loved it! My First Date With Buddha
We have a lot in common, right?! Who knew?! I agree, staying in the moment is tough but is so important, especially with the kids. They’ll only be this age once and then poof – they’re grown up and we’re OLD.