If you’re an introvert like me, the problem is simple—what happens inside your head is nothing like your calm and serene exterior. Not even close.
I’ve learned to quiet drunken monkey that resides in my head with the following three practices and exercises.
- Meditation. Duh right. Not just any type of meditation, but stillness meditation (the complete absence of thought, on -command).
- Keeping a journal. When I feel overwhelmed and ready to go postal on the next stupid idiot who thinks I should smile and not look so mean… (face twitching at the corner of my mouth at the mere thought of the pleasure of a full-blown postal outrage would bring me). But I digress. Keep a journal and update it everyday.
- Write stories. This is different than writing journal entries. Write a fiction story. Make it up. The wilder, more farfetched the better. Make up a hero and a villain and let the villain have their way with the hero. (This is for your personal use, but don’t be surprised if something not too bad gets written).
That’s it. My top three ways to quiet my introvert mind and taming the beast in my head.
The more you practice them the more quickly they will purge the toxic thinking from your brain. In fact, if you make these daily practices, you’ll find the pressure stays manageable and from time-to-time you’ll swear you can hear a pin drop in your head.
When an introvert becomes as calm and serene on the outside as on the inside, they are a force of reckoning. I like to call these moments of eternal now, the eye of the storm.
Here’s to your health and happiness.