By Dr Smita Ghosh
Mahatma Gandhi and his 3 Wise Monkeys, though the origin are hidden in ancient times, having its origin in the writings of Confucius, Taoism and Japanese Shintoism. It tells about being truthful in our speech, thoughts and our action. In short:
Do not SEE evil
Do not LISTEN evil words
Do not SPEAK bad words
But have you ever thought why monkeys and not any other animal or any other symbol? Think about it….
Let’s change the Perspective…
Gautam Buddha who gave the idea of Monkey Mind – the term used to describe a mind that jumps from thought to thought as a monkey jumps from tree to tree.
So the 3 Wise Monkeys refer to the ‘monkey mind’ - a metaphor for the restless nature of the mind that has a habit of jumping from one thought to another. In short:
Do not SEE/IMAGINE evil things (in your mind)
Do not LISTEN to negative self-talk (in your mind)
Do not SPEAK negative about self (in your mind) or to Think Before you SPEAK
Taming your Monkey Mind (BANANA Technique)
B: Be Engaged by engaging your mind in an activity that draws you in completely,
so that all of your attention is placed on what you’re doing, and there’s no attention left over to listen to the monkey mind.
A: A Journaling Practice
a regular journaling practice, you’ll be setting aside a window of time each day specifically to address your monkey mind’s concerns.
N: Notice 5 Things
One way to bring your mind back to the present is by playing the Game of Fives. Pause your train of thought and notice five things in your environment. It can be five things you see, hear, or smell.
A: Activity to Calm your Mind
Mindfulness will help to calm your monkey mind because it’s a practice that encourages you to be in the present more.
N: Negative Self Talk Habit
Learn to identify your negative self-talk patterns and then reframe them using the following steps:
Acknowledge your negative self-talk without being critical of it.
Validate your negative self-talk with self-compassion.
Externalize your negative self-talk by writing them down on paper.
Flexibly generate more realistic alternative thoughts.
A: Acknowledge
Instead of criticizing yourself for your negative thoughts, simply acknowledge them. Tell yourself that even though you can’t control whether they show up or not, you can decide how to move forward.
By Dr Smita Ghosh
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