monkey mind
Restless, jumping thoughts
Monkey mind is a Buddhist-derived term for a restless, unsettled mental state—thoughts swinging rapidly from branch to branch like a monkey in trees.
The phrase describes the difficulty of focusing when the mind keeps jumping to new worries, plans, or distractions: My monkey mind kept me awake for hours.
Common in meditation and mindfulness contexts, where calming the monkey mind is a central goal.
- restlessUnable to be still
- scatteredSpread irregularly about
- mental chatterContinuous inner commentary
- chatterLight, rapid speech
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
thoughts · racing thoughts · meditation · distraction · racing · anxiety · calm · breath · deep breath · present · fidgeting · jumpy · agitated · spinning · chaos · rumination · overthinking · lost in thought
- mental chatterworry, rumination, self-talk, overthinking, inner critic
- inner thoughtsinner monologue, inner voice, self-talk, internal dialogue, thoughts
monkey mindstillness
Complete lack of motion
inner peace · equanimity · tranquility · serenity · peace of mind
monkey mindsamadhi
Profound meditative absorption state
mindfulness · focused attention · sustained attention · focus · concentration
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