Have you got a monkey mind?

Have you got a monkey mind?

I have one of those minds that literally never stops – monkey mind. From the minute I wake up, it’s thoughts and questions, consistently chattering away – observing, asking, analysing, over-analysing, repeating, remembering etc. I know I am not alone in this and it can actually get exhausting.

I want to share a tool that I have been using on and off for the last few years now, which has helped transform the way I go through my days (amongst other things). It is called Morning Pages, and comes from a wonderful book by Julia Cameron, called The Artist’s Way.

Morning Pages is something you do as soon as you wake up, before doing anything else which requires considered brain power (so a trip to the toilet and a drink are fine, but definitely NO checking phones or emails), hand write down all the thoughts going through your head on three pages.

You’re probably thinking how on earth am I going to write three pages? I did, but trust me, it just starts to flow and you’ll be amazed at how fast it goes.

You can start with your dreams (if you remember them), then go on to listing the things you are grateful for, then just literally ‘brain dump’ all the thoughts running around and don’t stop until you are finished. Mine have varied from starting writing about how tired and grumpy I am, to how beautiful the weather looks, to thoughts about what I was going to eat, to how excited I am about something. It totally varies each day. The idea is to get all of those things out of your head, as they are better out than in, so you can unlock the good stuff – the creativity and interesting ideas, which will help you get on with your day in an awesome way.

It does mean getting up a bit earlier, but trust me you won’t regret it. I hope you find it as helpful as I do.

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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash