Okay, I admit it. I have a monkey mind.
I love that Buddhist expression because it encapsulates exactly how it feels. My thoughts skitter and jump. They careen from ideas about breakfast to forest fires, to my kids.
My mind can work non-stop. It’s just how I’m wired.
Some days I’m good at ignoring it. Other days, not so much. But then, when I catch myself going down yet another rabbit hole of triviality, I remember to use the tools.
Here’s a quick list to help you stay focused, feel present and harness the power of your over-active mind:
1. Meditation
Meditation can initially feel like punishment to the mind. The thought of sitting and doing nothing, thinking about nothing is sheer torture. And yet, what meditation really is, is mind training.
It helps you remember that you’re not your thoughts.
It allows you to connect to the infinite.
It creates serenity and peace.
Commit to sitting 5-minutes a day.
Listen to some peaceful music, follow a guided meditation. Check out Insight Timer. It’s a free meditation app.
2. Affirmation
When you take charge of your thoughts, you rule your life.
Don’t you want happy thoughts? Kind thoughts? Loving thoughts?
Louise Hay, who died last week, was a genius at this. Not only did she understand the power of thought, she grasped the power of words to help mold them.
I call her the Queen of Affirmations. She had positive statements posted around her house and used them constantly, like mantra, all day long.
Here are a few of my top favorites from her:
- Life loves me.
- I love and approve of myself right now.
- I am safe in the universe and all of life loves and supports me.
- I am willing to forgive.
Affirmation is a way to re-wire your brain and move from negative, self destructive, or potentially harmful thoughts to ones that support and nurture.
3. Intention
I was talking to my girlfriend over the weekend and she was telling me about her daily practice of setting intentions.
She told me she’s been focused on manifesting things she wants in her life right now. One of them was to get great paying work that she really enjoyed. Sure enough, the jobs keep pouring in.
Then she said she wanted to meet other women with whom she felt a deep, heart connection. In a few weeks, she’s met three!
Be clear on what you want in your life. Set goals – both long term and short term. And then say them everyday.
What we think, say and then do, manifests!
4. Take Action
One of the best ways to focus the mind and stop it from perseverating, is to take action.
Sometimes on Sunday nights I’ll lie in bed and think about all the things I have to do on Monday. If I let it, it can cause me stress. But then I began to notice that as soon as I started knocking those things off the list, my stress was gone.
Action.
I also recognized that when I exercise regularly, my mind is much more calm and focused.
Action.
Your mind is so powerful. Isn’t it time for you to be in charge and direct the show? Use these 4 simple strategies to experience not only more peace in your life but success and happiness too.