26/01/2026
FROM THE LATEST NEWSLETTER:
I’m not sure how we got here, but it’s 2026. In my childhood, I would imagine that we would be traveling around in flying saucers and wearing white space-type suits.
In reality, despite all the changes, in some ways, here we are, still largely human, lumbering around in cars and wearing mostly ordinary clothing.
What has changed significantly, however is the way we communicate with each other.
Years ago, to speak to you all en masse, I would have had to type a letter and get it photocopied (or sylised for those of you that remember those smelly machines that replicated written documents).
You probably would have read that letter, sent to you via post, arriving in your letterbox. Because even though you might have received a few letters that day, you wouldn’t receive the 30 or so you might be getting most days via email.
At most, you would have had a newspaper, a mailer, a bill and if you were lucky, a letter or a postcard from a friend, which you would treasure.
Now, you have a wealth of information and an awful lot of ‘noise’
It’s a bit like that in our heads.
Our brain processes so much information. It does its best to cut the noise and take in only what is important. It’s pretty good at discerning a wasp (potentially harmful) from a fly (mild annoyance) to a butterfly (potentially pleasing unless you have a vegetable garden).
There is one thing your mind is not very good at. And that is cutting out the noise that arises from your own thoughts.
I talk about this a lot with people. And not one person has said, “I don’t know what you are talking about”. They all nod and recognise this other part of their mind. The mind that:
- Keeps us awake at night
- Says awful things about ourselves
- Encourages us to scroll on our phones when we have other stuff to do
This mind is substantially louder when we are stressed, depressed, worried or anxious. It can become so damn loud that it causes us to act and behave in ways that we, in a clear mind state, would not.
Cutting down the noise
You may recall that I liken this loud mind to a monkey.
A monkey that swings from topic to topic, slightly out of control, causing chaos and all in all, not so helpful.
A few weeks ago, my monkey mind became very loud. Interestingly, at the time I also had some gut issues - were these two things related? I think so - but that story is for another time (You can read more on how gut health and mental health are related on my blog)
My monkey mind and I were at yoga. I was doing my poses, and I was struggling to concentrate. I was well behind with the moves. And then it started: “You can’t even follow simple instructions! What’s wrong with you? And look at how you are doing that pose? That’s not straight!”
Ah. The self-critising monkey.
Oh boy. It was so loud. It had been at me for a few days. But today, I had had enough. Silently, quite loud in my head, I said, “That’s enough! I am doing the best that I can! F**k off!’
And you know what? The monkey mind went quiet.
What can help?
I was quite surprised by that. But I have heard people using this technique before. The trick is catching it. Knowing that this is indeed the monkey mind, not the wise mind, not the ‘real’ you.
With insight, we can notice when the monkey mind is in control. And we can help to quieten the monkey mind.
What can help?
- Writing down your thoughts, allowing the monkey mind to have its say on paper
- Get in a state of flow (an activity that absorbs your mind).
- Naming it as ‘the monkey mind’
- Actively distracting the mind - give it something else to think about (look for 10 things which bring you joy, or three things you are grateful for. Really, it’s like giving it a banana)
- Practice self-compassion (speak to yourself as though you were a dear friend)
- Try mindfulness/meditation
- Challenge the thoughts that arise (is it really true?)
- Face the monkey mind head-on (as I did above)
Acceptance:
It’s important to acknowledge and accept that this (monkey) mind will always be there; it is part of you. It will never leave you for long, but it can be quieter.
Most importantly, don’t believe everything your mind says. Don’t take it as gospel. Many of the thoughts your mind produces are simply noise, like too many emails in the inbox.
Over time, you can learn to discern the wisdom from the noise.
