Why does focus generate less stress?
Have you ever had the feeling of exhaustion after a day of work? Well, if that didn't happen then you should be thankful, consider yourself very lucky and probably a master at managing your monk mind. But in case it has happened, don't feel alone as that happens to most people.
The culprit is your Monkey Mind. This is a Buddhist term meaning unsettled, restless, capricious, whimsical, fanciful, inconstant, confused, indecisive and uncontrollable. A monkey that constantly demands our attention, jumping from branch to branch, pointing out the fears that are in it, alerting us by screaming so that we pay attention to them.
The concept of "Monkey Mind" was first used over 2,000 years ago by the Buddha. He described the human mind as full of drunken monkeys constantly yelling, fighting, chattering, distracting and generally creating mental chaos and perhaps this is what happens to our mind every day. As people with anxiety disorders, stress problems, or other difficult mental habits will testify, it often seems as if we are constantly at war with our own brains.
In Mindfulness, it is said that the Monkey Mind appears when our attention span is weakened. We all have a monkey mind within our own, but not all of us know of its existence or know how to control it.
Meditation is a great alternative to calm our monkey mind. For that, we first have to go through a concentration process that is highly supported by breathing techniques, and that is why to control your monkeys, daily practice is essential. Over time, you'll see how this leads to better sleep, less anxiety, less nervousness at work, and an easier life with the ability to focus on one thing in the present moment instead of jumping from one idea to another. one thought to another, from one activity to another.
I am not a monk but I can share with you my experience of working firmly to calm my mind through this technique that gave me very good and pleasant results. This refocused breathing technique is very easy and will take about 5 minutes.
Just sit without crossing your legs or arms, if you are in front of your desk just place your hands palms down on the desk or on your legs.
Slowly close your eyes and inhale deeply counting to 6 slowly.
Exhale counting to 12 if possible from the mouth and with sound.
Repeat this type of breathing 3 times and stay for a while with your eyes closed.
When you're ready, open them.
You may feel a sense of having calmed your monkey mind and a reset of the journey. You can repeat this as many times as you want because the more you do it, the calmer you get.
I wish you a good breath!