{"id":41670,"date":"2019-08-11T12:57:20","date_gmt":"2019-08-11T10:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/?p=41670"},"modified":"2022-08-18T21:22:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T19:22:39","slug":"get-out-of-your-monkey-mind-inspiration-shot-august-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estherjacobs.info\/en\/blog\/get-out-of-your-monkey-mind-inspiration-shot-august-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Get out of your monkey mind – Inspiration Shot August 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get out of your\u00a0monkey mind<\/em><\/h1>\n

Inspiration Shot August 2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>

Do you recognize this feeling of being unsettled, restless, or confused? This voice in your head that won\u2019t quit? Some suggest that the monkey mind is the inner critic. That voice is your ego, your rationality, your devil’s advocate. If you allow yourself to be guided by your head, your creativity will be stifled and you will not dare to let go. Sound familiar?
\nFrom experience, I know that my monkey mind will do whatever it takes to be heard, with the aim of distracting me from the here and now. It requires awareness and training to silence him. But I know that if I really want to enjoy life, I will have to learn to understand this process and master it. I’m working on it! \ud83d\ude42 In this inspiration shot, I share a number of tips, techniques and distractions that might also inspire and help you.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Get<\/span><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Being in the moment<\/h2>\n

The word mindfulness just means being aware of the present moment. Don’t think about what just happened or what you still have to do. Do not lose yourself in your thoughts, but focus on your senses, with full attention to what is there. The wind on your skin, the food on your tongue, the feelings in your belly, the conversation you are having. Do one thing at a time, with 100% attention.<\/p>\n

Think about how often we allow ourselves to be distracted so that we do not fully enjoy the moment.\u00a0Only when that moment is over, we’ll start thinking about it …<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Retreat,<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

For me, dancing tango is a way to step out of my head, into my body and be fully present in the moment. Feeling what moves my partner is leading, letting my body follow (if my head has to ‘guess’ first and then translate that into a movement, the process is slower and less fluid). It is a liberating feeling and if everything goes well, I will be in a ‘flow’ state. If I start thinking about that one step that went wrong, I also ruin the next step … There is so much to learn from the tango mindset (even if you don’t like to dance): more about it in my blog\u00a0‘life lessons from tango’.<\/a>
\nMy Argentinian tango teachers Adrian and Mora will be visiting the Netherlands again in September.\u00a0 On\u00a0Monday Sept 9th\u00a0they are organizing a\u00a0‘Presence and connection in Tango’<\/a>\u00a0workshop in a mindfulness centre in The Hague. Would you like\u00a0to experience it too?<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Get into your body<\/h2>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Other physical activities and (extreme) sports can also provide the experience I find in tango. If you are completely focused, there is no room to think about your ‘to-do-list’. Mountain bikers, kite surfers and rock climbers, for example, must be in the moment. Have you ever tried an ‘adrenaline’ sport? I sometimes practice on a climbing wall. You are so focused on not falling that everything else just disappears from your head. Exhilarating! Don’t feel like ‘rolling up your sleeves’ yourself? Then watch the documentary “Free Solo” about a man climbing the most dangerous ascents in the world without ropes. Bet that you will feel with him from the comfort of your couch!<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Get<\/a><\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Creativity<\/h2>\n

Another way to get out of your head is to use your creativity. You activate a different part of your brain. Listening to music, playing an instrument, sculpting, making a collage, gardening, painting; we all have an activity we like to\u00a0completely lose ourselves in. No inspiration? Find a fun or weird\u00a0workshop online.
\nImprov theater, where you learn ‘stand up comedy’, is also one of my favorites. Humor combined with being in the moment and improvising.\u00a0Boom Chicago<\/a> offers good and fun courses.<\/p>\n<\/div>

When I could not dance tango due to a knee injury during my last visit to Buenos Aires, I decided to take watercolor classes. Completely different, but it also brought me in the flow state of completely losing track of time, being in the moment, out of my head into my body.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Get<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Appreciation<\/h2>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

It is sometimes said that your brain is a muscle that you can train. By consciously focusing on the good things every day, you automatically see life more positively. Write down three things that you are grateful for every day. It can be as simple as a cup of tea or the sun filtering through the trees. If you do this consistently, at least three things every day, you will see that everything will look brighter. (Whatever the monkey in your head says!)<\/p>\n<\/div>

I collect beautiful, positive messages that are shared via social media. This one particularly touched me: architect Ronald Rael designed a seesaw in the border wall so that children in the US and Mexico can play together. A nice reminder that we are connected: what happens on one side influences the other.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Get<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>