I used to suffer from Monkey Mind! My brain was in overdrive, I would latch onto a fearful thought and then my brain would take off! It was so incredibly exasperating! And the funny thing is…now that I’ve mastered the monkey brain, I can’t remember the last time it ever gained any kind of traction.
Mastering the Monkey Mind is the first step to Claiming Your Power and it is an essential one.
Claiming your power is really about living the life you want to live rather than the life that others think you should. It’s about claiming your right to make your own decisions based upon your own inner guidance and wisdom.
In other words…it’s about quieting the voices in your head, stopping all the “should’s” and “have to’s” and listening to your intuition.
It’s about owning your life, and accepting responsibility for the quality of it.
Some would say it’s about following your bliss.
But before you can do that…you have to be able to hear your inner wisdom.
That means that your first step is to quiet the monkey mind, and getting your brain to shut the fuck up already.
So, this is where we start; how to quiet the thoughts in your head in 4 (easy?) steps.
1) Notice them
The goal is ALWAYS awareness. If you ignore something, you have no power over it. Once you turn and look at a situation or a thought, you can do something about it. Don’t fight with the thought, just notice it. Practice this for a bit before you move to step 2. Simply notice the thought, knowing that you can change it if you want to.
2) Question them
Now we get into the discovery phase…you’ve noticed them, it’s time to start asking some questions…like:
- Is the voice your voice? Could it be the voice of a parent, sibling? Ex? Where did the voice come from?
- Is it true (hint…No, it’s usually not)
- If you think it’s true…can you change it?
- What happened right before you had this thought?
3) Transform them
Here are a few methods that you can try:
- Say out loud “cancel, clear delete” when a negative thought comes in, you can even make a swishing motion with your hands if it helps
- Clap your hands and say “doubt out” then put your hands over your heart and say “faith in its place”
- Write it down and transform it…
- a) Write down “yesterday I believed______________” (the negative thought)
- b) Then write out the thought you want it to replace it with “today I know_______________”
- c) Example “Yesterday I believed that I am too slow, today I know that I am divinely led and allowed to move at a pace that’s comfortable for me”
4) Practice, Practice, Practice
You won’t change this overnight, it takes diligence and determination and IT CAN BE DONE!
A few things to remember:
Keep at it! Be patient with yourself.
Give yourself a break, literally. Take a few moments several times a day to just focus on your breath. When you do that, it gives your brain something to do and will stop the monkey mind for a bit. This is called mindfulness and there are several techniques out there, but first, just focus on your breath!
Give yourself a hug! This is work, it’s not hard, but it’s challenging and it’s a new thing, so celebrate every single tiny step you take towards claiming your power!
