Going Easy when Monkey Mind Gets Loud

Anytime I’m away from this page for more than a week or so, I can find it tough to get going again. I don’t know why that is, but I’m grateful to be here. Thanks for joining me for a few.

A few days ago, I had a rough patch due to some questionable leftovers. It wasn’t fun, but it could have been worse. (A bad spring roll in 2020 brought a level of suffering that I haven’t experienced since the Tijuana incident of 1989. Yikes. I do not need a repeat of that ordeal.) These bodies we walk around in are pretty miraculous, you know? Amazing immune systems that kick into gear anytime an army of microscopic, would-be assassins shows up on the scene. Waking. Sleeping. No matter. Busy, busy, busy. Always taking care and keeping us going. Day in and day out.

Stomach issues aside, I will confess that monkey mind has also been paying me a visit. Some days the negativity shows up without notice or invitation. I don’t know why. Maybe I haven’t had enough fresh air or blueberries. But rather than dive into a chorus of Why, Why, Why? I will just say – Yep. Sometimes the monkey mind gets loud. And some days, I don’t know how to shake it. Or maybe I just think I don’t know how to shake it. The tools are there, but that clever little monkey likes to hide them from view.

Yep. Sometimes the monkey mind gets loud. And some days, I don’t know how to shake it.

Gratitude is one of my go-to’s on an off day. But when the fog rolls in it’s hard to see the gifts, even though they are right in front of me. Positive affirmations? Saying I am enough when I definitely don’t feel enough? It rings hollow and has the exact opposite effect. And, to be honest? Though I know I am loved, some days I just don’t feel very lovable. Ever have one of those kinds of days?

So, what’s a girl to do? For me, a back-to-the-basics approach is in order. As in, what’s the smallest increment of truth I can begin with? When I’m feeling this off-kilter, what simple fact can I stand on, so I can get a better footing going forward?

When I’m feeling this off kilter, what simple fact can I stand on, so I can get a better footing going forward?

I think I’ll give it a go …

I am a person. A human being. One of 7+ billion at this moment in time.

I am unique. There is no one else just like me. Never before and never to be repeated again. That’s pretty cool. Yep. Pretty cool.

Although I am one-of-a-kind, my struggles are not unique.

I am not alone in my struggles.

Off days and down days, and all shades of bluesy days.

They show up, now and again. Without warning, now and again.

For everyone. For Every One.

Not just me. I guess I’m in good company.

I guess I’m in good company.

This too shall pass. This too shall pass. 

Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. I know this too shall pass.

And as I write the words, the balloon of tension in my chest eases, and I can breathe.

So, now I’ll ask a different question, one that’s been helpful on other days such as this:

How can I help today, Cath? What can I do to add a little peace to your day? A little relief to your week?

Hmmm … Good question. Thanks for asking. Could we maybe just ease up on the gas pedal a bit? I’m feeling kinda jumpy, like a nervous horse rearing, ready to bolt. Easy, girl. Easy. That’s it. Just breathe. It’s all okay.

Better.

This life we’ve been given? We get to choose how to spend it. No one is tapping their feet, eyes peering over their glasses, looking down their nose at us. (And if they are, well, they’ve got a bucket full of issues we really don’t have time for.) I overload my backpack full of expectations and then wonder why I’m having such a hard time climbing the mountain that’s in front of me. And maybe it wouldn’t seem like such a mountain if I was a little kinder and more patient with myself? And perhaps it would be a lot more fun if I unloaded that darn backpack a little.

I feel better. I do feel better.

The pressure eases, and the gratitude returns.

Thanks for the day, Lord. Thanks for this life and for the gift of choosing how I get to live it. 

Thanks for me. That’s a pretty great gift right there. A one-of-a-kind miracle, walking. 

It is a beautiful day. A truly, beautiful day. A day to enjoy … just being me.

How about you? How do you handle the off days when they arrive? I’d love to hear what tools you keep on hand for just such an occasion.

❤️ Cath