MONKEY MIND

Conquering our inner chaos BY Archana Law

What would your response be to Ernest Hemingway’s following request: “Write one true sentence… the truest sentence you know,” regarding a significant event in your life?

There is always more to a story than meets the eye. Despite our tendency to act as if our perceptions are objective, this is almost never the case.

Human experiences are layered and complex with a rich subtext that’s often surprising. Our perceptions of people, things and situations merely scratch the surface, and tell us only a fraction of the story.

As a result of this, our dialogue with experiences is an ongoing process filled with commas, colons, semicolons and endless parentheses but no full stop.

If we acknowledge that there’s almost always more to things than what we see, we must also accept that there is more to the story of life’s struggles. Perhaps our brains tend to construe perceptions so loud that we can’t hear what’s being whispered in our ears.

The average person thinks an estimated 12,000-70,000 thoughts a day (validity contested), and most of these thoughts are repetitive and unpleasant.

Additionally, around 60 thought fragments rumble beneath the surface of our conscious mind in the course of the snap of a finger. Each of those rumblings correlates with numerous neurons that are firing at nearly 320 kilometres an hour.

It appears that the brain is responsible for about 20 percent of one’s daily calorie burn!

This universal experience of repetitive consciousness, which Lord Buddha called the ‘monkey mind,’ is often impossible to catch. A metaphor as old as the behaviour itself is that the monkey mind leaps into thin air from one branch of thought to another, never content, never at rest.

Worries echo in our heads like monkey chatter. Powerful emotions have us jumping at anything that promises a little relief. But somehow, relief always lies beyond our reach.

The inability to regulate repetitive thoughts and ruminations is associated with clinical diagnoses of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each of these are risk factors for suicide as well.

Of course, it isn’t always bad.

We do experience moments where the claustrophobia of the monkey mind abates; and this in turn allows us to feel much more open, warm and connected, touching another capacity within ourselves. When absorbing a breathtaking sunset or spellbinding performance, playing sport, engaging in art or reliving moments of accomplishment, we experience a capacity beyond living in auto­pilot mode.

So how do we cultivate a sense of openness, freshness, joy, revelry or stillness in such moments?

MINDFULNESS Regular meditation helps quieten the restless mind by focussing on the present mo­ment. It doesn’t aim to stop thoughts but teaches you to observe them without judgement and gently return to your breath or focus.

Over time, this practice reduces mental chaos and enhances the power of concentration.

Close your eyes, turn your attention inwards and focus on your breath. Be aware of the sound of your breath, the air entering through your nostrils and being expelled through your mouth. Hold each breath till the count of four before you exhale… and start all over again.

THINKING We often unconsciously spiral into negative thought patterns. By learning to distinguish between spontaneous thoughts and our active engagement with those thoughts, we can choose not to dwell on unproductive narratives.

Practise the concept of ‘no big deal’ (NBD). Feeling overwhelmed by a million tasks? No big deal: focus on what you can do and get to work.

Facing a daunting and difficult challenge? NBD! Just take the first step and keep moving forward.

Is someone unhappy with you? No big deal. Acknowledge his or her pain, be compassionate and take the appropriate action to fix the situation —or simply go on about your business if it can’t be resolved.

ACCEPTANCE Learn to embrace the presence of a monkey mind. Rather than seeing mental restlessness as a problem to be fixed, approach it with compassion. Recognise that the monkey mind is a natural state; learn to befriend it and work on dealing with it.

As you walk, keep your eyes open and your gaze forward, letting your arms swing loose. Relax your neck, face and shoulders, and listen to the sound of your footsteps as they touch the ground. Let your awareness be filled with the rhythm of your walking, the breath in your lungs and the gentle sound of your own steps.

Managing inner chaos can be simple. The future and past are abstract concepts because life exists only in the ‘present.’ Focussing on the present allows us to put forth our best effort in each moment – and indeed, this is the ideal way for us to function.