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GC:OPINION How to think better - Calming the monkey mind

Don’t worry, you are not alone. We have all been there where our minds are moving at a thousand miles an hour, bouncing thoughts around our head asking us the weirdest questions and offering even more preposterous answers.Why do we do this when it serves us no positive purpose at all? Has this always been the case? How do we solve it?

Welcome to the world of the monkey mind!

This notion has been talked about for over 1500 years, with it first being discussed in Budhist teachings where it is outlined being the “mental-monkey” that reflects restlessness, curiosity, and mimicry associated with this animal.

Moreover, they go further and state that the random, uncontrollable movements of the monkey symbolise the waywardness of the native human mind before it achieves a composure which only the Buddhist discipline can affect. So by this token, we could argue that the foundations of the monkey mind have been in place for quite some time.

In recent years, if you follow football you may have become aware of sports psychologist Professor Steve Peters who wrote the Chimp Paradox. This was a big thing a couple of years back, with grizzled veterans like former Manchester United legend Roy Keane who humorously quipped “I tried to read it - I’m open minded - but my chimp wouldn’t let me!”

However, former England star Steven Gerrard noted that “Steve Peters is not going to make the players run 100 metres any quicker, or do a Cruyff turn better or hit a 40-yard pass any more accurately,” Gerrard had said. “But what I can guarantee is that if the players buy into it, he’ll be able to help them with mental preparation and make them understand how the mind works, especially when you’re going into pressure situations.”

What is it?

Within the Chimp Paradox, Peters argues that you can live with more control, calmness and focus once you understand your chimp. To give an oversimplified understanding over the human brain according to Peters can be broken down into three parts, the frontal (the human), the limbic (the chimp), the parietal (the computer)

The human is considered to be the real you that works with evidence and searches for proof, they remain open minded and maintain the ability to change their minds, and to see someone else’s point of view, rational thinking and common sense and evaluate to see if something is feasible or realistic.

The chimp is an emotional machine that we all possess. The purpose of this is to ensure your survival and is independent which can make decisions on its own. The chimp needs to know if it is safe and is continuously looking for danger. It can be seen to be mistrusting and prone to paranoia.

The computer is the storage area for thoughts and behaviours that the chimp or the human has put into it. It then uses the information to act in an automatic way.

How to manage the monkey.

Recognise who is in charge at that point or thought process. Is it the human or the chimp? Whenever you are having feelings, thoughts or behaviours that you do not want, you are being hijacked by your chimp.

The answer is to understand how the brain works and accept these and work with it. In every situation and thought process goes to the chimp first. It then decides if there is anything to worry about. If there is no concern the chimp goes to sleep and hands it over to the human If the chimp is concerned he will make his own plan of action to find a solution.

One key thing to remember is that the chimp is far more stronger than the human so don’t try and control it, just try to manage it by nurturing and managing your chimp to get the best result for you.

If you have an aggressive and dominating chimp, then by playing sports is a way to fulfil this primitive drive. Moreover, chimps are always looking for praise and recognition, so remember to praise it

Exercise the chimp by letting it vent, let it say exactly what it is thinking. Whether these are thoughts, worries or feelings no matter how irrational it may be. Once it goes silent it is time for the human to take over and take action who handles all the sensible issues raised and does not deal with the nonsense thoughts.

It is advised that you exercise your chimp in a locked compound so you do not vent all of your rage in public, but at an appropriate time and place Once the chimp has finished exercising, it will then be able to receive information from the human.which by using facts, truth and logic, the chimp can calm down and be reasoned with and you can successfully navigate and manage your chimp thoughts by feeding it mental bananas as a way of a reward system.

Game Changers resident therapist and monkey charmer Maria Meramveliotaki argues that to manage the situation “we should take a step back and separate how the monkey is interpreting the information, and then take action based upon this. Monkey management is key to understanding how to navigate a successful relationship between yourself and those million miles an hour thoughts that can often swamp us.”

Remember your chimp is always alive and kicking so you must be willing to work with it. Peters argues that “It is not good or bad, it is a chimp! It can be your best friend, or your worst enemy even at the same time! This is the chimp paradox.”

So based upon that statement...good luck with that! For those of you who are interested to read more by Steve Peters. His book is called, The Chimp Paradox: The mind management programme for confidence, success and happiness.