| It's 2 a.m. You have to get up early tomorrow, as | | | | rubber band as a bracelet and snapping it when |
| usual, to get the kids off to school and take the | | | | monkey mind moves in. |
| train to the subway. "Wait a minute," you ask | | | | 2. Shift. |
| yourself. "Why am I still awake? I have to go to | | | | To keep the monkey from jumping back into |
| sleep!" But you can't stop thinking. There it | | | | your mind, shift your attention. You've told your |
| is-monkey mind. Your mind keeps circling around | | | | mind to stop and it obeyed. Now immediately |
| and around. And the more you think, the more | | | | focus on something else. Look out your office |
| your stress rises. Maybe it's that one thing you | | | | window at the leaves of a tree. Get up right |
| said to your boss that you wish you'd said | | | | away and refill your cup of coffee. Pick up the |
| differently. Maybe you're obsessing on figuring out | | | | phone and return a call. Take some immediate |
| a new piece of technology at work. Or you | | | | action unrelated to the monkey. Re-direct your |
| forgot your mother's birthday and you can't stop | | | | mind down a new thought path as you hone in on |
| thinking about how you'll explain it to her | | | | your new activity. |
| tomorrow. | | | | 3. Reschedule. |
| Do you feel powerless? Not sure what to do? | | | | Like an Aikido master, turn the very nature of |
| With practice, you can find your way out of the | | | | monkey mind against itself. After all, monkey |
| monkey mind maze. In his book Learned | | | | mind feels that it's playing an important role by |
| Optimism, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman offers the | | | | running the same thought over and over in your |
| following easy "thought-stopping techniques." So | | | | head so that you'll act on that thought. What to |
| next time this uninvited guest occupies your | | | | do? Reschedule. For example, if your mind |
| thoughts, use these 3 quick tricks to quickly evict | | | | ruminates on picking up the dry cleaning, |
| the monkey mind. | | | | reschedule this thought. Say, "I will think about the |
| 1. Halt. | | | | dry cleaning at 5:00 p.m." Write "5:00 p.m. - Dry |
| If someone was seriously getting on your nerves, | | | | Cleaning" on a sticky note or enter it in your |
| you'd tell them to stop. In the same way, | | | | electronic calendar with a reminder. |
| command monkey mind to come to a halt. Say, | | | | Use these 3 simple tricks to free your mind and |
| "Stop!" in your mind, or even out loud. Be strong | | | | get back to the priority at hand. When monkey |
| and firm, so that monkey gets the message. If | | | | mind pays you an unexpected visit, remember to |
| you're really having trouble, type the word "Stop" | | | | halt, shift your attention and reschedule those |
| or "Halt" in a large font, print it out and post it in | | | | thoughts for a later time. Escorting the monkey |
| your work area. If you can't sleep at night, tape it | | | | out the door will give you less stress, greater |
| to your ceiling. Seligman also suggests wearing a | | | | peace of mind and more room to focus. |