Quiet Your Monkey Mind

I’ve been having the same conversation with many of my Clients lately.

Whether navigating the economic uncertainty, managing change in their personal lives or simply trying to keep up with the day-to-day, they want to know:

"How do I calm my mind when it won’t stop racing?"

As a Creative Business Owner, finding peace, clarity and calm isn’t a luxury- it’s a necessity. Without it, your decision-making, your leadership and most of all- your creativity will take a hit.

In this TRG Blog Article, I'm talking about:

• the phenomenon of Monkey Mind
• and Five Steps you can take to combat your Monkey Mind

What is Monkey Mind?

Simply put- Monkey Mind is the spinning, scattered, anxious thought-loops that make it hard for you to focus, think clearly and feel grounded.

The term Monkey Mind originates from early Buddhist teachings, referring to the restless, unsettled, constantly chattering nature of the human mind.

Like a wild, energetic monkey swinging from branch to branch, you experience Monkey Mind when you feel like your mind can't stay still.

Buddha used the metaphor to describe how the untrained mind jumps from thought to thought, often driven by fear, distraction, desire or worry.

Now, the term is widely used in mindfulness, meditation and modern psychology to describe overthinking, anxiety and mental overwhelm.

What Triggers Monkey Mind?

Monkey Mind is often triggered by one or more of the following:

• Lack of Vision (no plan or strategy)
• Running on Empty (no energy- physically)
• Running on Adrenaline (short-term, unsustainable fuel)
• Distractions (no clear priorities/lack of focus)
• Content Overload (no reliance on your own wisdom)
• Decision Fatigue (no capacity- mentally)

These mental states feed anxiety, stress and burnout- which only worsens the Monkey Mind loop.

The good news is, there are practical and actionable ways to address and minimize each of these triggers.

How? Pausing, finding presence, setting intentions, taking consistent actions and believe it or not- structure.

Here are Five Steps you can take to combat your Monkey Mind:

The First Step: Pause

If you're experiencing Monkey Mind, the first step is simple- pause and call it what it is- Monkey Mind. This is a VERY important step- because most people default to self-deprecating thoughts like "I'm a mess," or "I'm so scatterbrained." Identifying what's happening as Monkey Mind allows you to anchor in objective fact, not subjective story-telling, which can quickly turn into a downward emotional spiral that becomes worse by the second.

The Second Step: Find Presence

The next step is to ground yourself in the present moment.

Here's a trick you can try:

• Choose any item in your environment- any physical item like a pillow, piece of furniture, framed art or your pet.
• First, focus on the item and describe (out loud or silently) its factual traits (color, shape, size, texture, etc). Think or speak slowly, this is not a race. Stay in this step until you've run out of things to say.
• Then, shift into appreciation and state (out loud or silently) everything you like about the item- the design, the colors, the textures, how it supports you or why you enjoy it. Again, think or speak slowly and stay in this step until you've run out of things to say.
• Make sure you've invested 90 seconds or more TOTAL describing and appreciating this item, then note and notice how you feel, in comparison to when you began this little exercise.
• Do you feel more grounded, present, calm? Is your Monkey Mind gone or still hanging around?

This little exercise is so simple, yet it can transport you from chaos to calm in a VERY short amount of time!

In fact, science shows that if you can anchor in good-feeling thoughts for just 90 seconds, you can shift your mood and mindset- calming your nervous system and helping you become more focused, responsive and solution-oriented. Speaking from personal experience- it really works!

The Third Step: Set Intentions

Take 10 minutes to identify the source of your Monkey Mind. Whether it's no plan, no energy or too many distractions (or something else), get your worries and/or fears out of your head and on to paper (digital or physical). Then, from your more objective state of mind, identify which worry or fear would be most important to address first and outline 1 small action step you can take in the next 24 hours to improve your situation. Set a clear and actionable intention to create an incremental shift towards better.

The Fourth Step: Take Action

With clear and actionable intentions, now it's time to do the thing you said you wanted to do when you were thinking clearly. Take a tip from Nike and JUST DO IT! Schedule it on your calendar, re-prioritize your day- do whatever needs to be done to hold yourself accountable to YOU! And when you do the thing- CELEBRATE IT! This will reinforce within your a sense of empowerment, knowing deep within "I've got this!"

The Fifth and Final Step: Structure

When you've got more energy, your mental capacities restored and you feel more calm and focused on a more regular basis (thanks to the previous 4 steps), you're ready to implement a structure for operating your business and living your life!

Yes, structure is the ultimate solution for combating those Monkey Mind triggers for good!

Here's the deal-eo...

Presence is a powerful step in creating a change, but structure is what will help you sustain the change. Enter the magic of frameworks!

The Roots Group's signature ROOTS approach and two supporting frameworks are the secret to creating the business and the life you want!

Since this article is already long enough, I invite you to follow this underlined link to check-out my two signature frameworks:

• The Better Business Framework: a comprehensive system to strengthen the ROOTS of your business foundation, so you can operate a rock-solid, well-oiled machine of a business.
• The Better Life Framework- a holistic system to strengthen the ROOTS of your personal foundation, so you can live a more satisfying and fulfilling life.

These Frameworks are the "you don’t know, what you don’t know" systems, that once you know- everything shifts, for good.

As the cornerstone of my programs, I teach these two 90 day systems to help you transform your businesses and life, in the most simple & effective way!

The result- more flow and more freedom (and historically speaking- my Clients experience a boost in revenue and profits, too!)

So, in summary- you now have 5 actionable steps to address and minimize whatever is triggering your Monkey Mind:

• Step 1: Pause
• Step 2: Find Presence
• Step 3: Set Intentions
• Step 4: Take Action
• Step 5: Implement a Structure 

(See what I did there? I just gave you a mini-framework, in the form of a system, to help you combat Monkey Mind!)

Real talk to wrap-up...

You can’t erase the triggers for stress or Monkey Mind completely, but when triggered- you can choose a more effective way to deal with them, reduce the chaos and find more calm.

Start with a pause, then find presence. And ultimately, implement a structure that supports sustainable change, flow and freedom, so you can get back to doing that creative work you love so much!

Whether you're in a season of change, feeling overstretched or simply need a reset- give these steps a try! And remember- calm is not a reward for finishing your to-do list...

It's a strategy for operating your business with more confidence and living your life with more fulfillment.