Calming the Mind

Therapists have called our mind’s activity “The Monkey Mind.” The mind, like monkeys, jumps from one limb to another while chattering all the time. Freud wrote somewhere that we are not even master in our own house (mind), but that we must remain content with the scraps of information about what is going on unconsciously in our minds. How can I calm my mind, especially this monkey mind? Writers such as Roger Walsh in ESSENTIAL SPIRITUALITY recommends that we do one thing at a time. The self-discipline of concentration will help to calm one’s mind. I like that prescription of concentration and one thing at a time. I try not to be a multi-tasker because I know that I will eventually mess up whatever I am doing or trying to do. Multi-tasking usually has to do with being in a hurry. If I do not have the necessary time to do something correctly and with my full attention the first time, how will I find the necessary time to correct the mistakes I made or said? One thing at a time and with my full attention, is surprisingly good advice and a wonderful prescription for calming one’s mind.