People often have a "negative view" for very good reason. And trying to get them to deny that and to plaster a false face of optimism onto themselves is not going to help one bit. It won't help them psychologically (except possibly in the short term) and it is, really, just as bad as Marx's "opium of the people." He meant religion, of course, in its "Pie in the sky when you die" form, but it could equally apply to anything that lulls folk into thinking/feeling that all is well when it isn't.

Here's a thought ... that the brain works by addition, not by subtraction, and as a wealth of evidence on thought suppression shows, the more we try NOT to think about something the more we think about it. Google “Wegner and the White Bear” experiment if you don't believe me. Trying to 'unthink' negative thoughts or replace them with positive ones just leads to more of the same. Anyone who ever tried to give up smoking by telling themselves they must not have a cigarette will have encountered this phenomenon.

The problem is not the content of the thoughts but our appraisal of them and how they then influences behaviour. Treating our 'negative' thoughts as serious and harmful simply gives them more power. Sitting around trying to change your mind is far less effective in the longer term than getting out there and changing your life. The trick is to recognise thoughts for what they are and start treating them as stories that your mind tell you.

When I began to learn to accept my inner critic as PART OF ME (not a horrid monster...god, I think that's a bit dangerous actually)...I was able to start feeling compassion towards it. I actually started visualising my inner critic as my 6 year old self. Then, rather than getting angry at my inner critic (which just makes things worse), I was able to show it compassion.

Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power Of Now' and Richard Rohr's Immortal Diamond' both approach this from a more spiritual bullshitty stance identifying this as our struggle with the 'Ego' or 'False Self'. I feel both these books are not essential reading and if like me you can identify with Danny Gregory's analogy then taking these first small recommend steps will be the first steps on a journey to lasting change and a new way of being. ( )

I have a voice inside my head. You have a voice inside your head. That voice is what tells we are capable of achieving so many incredible things. It tells us what we should do in difficult situations. And sometimes, unfortunately, it tells us that we aren’t good enough.

Which is exactly why Danny Gregory began to refer to the voice inside his head as his Monkey in his new book, SHUT YOUR MONKEY.

Don’t get freaked out by the idea that there’s possibly maybe a monkey taking up residence in your head. Obviously it’s not a real monkey (although that would be pretty awesome if you ask me.)

I’ve read a lot of “self help” books that are so boring. But ‘Shut Your Monkey’ is NOTHING like those. In fact, I actually would catch myself smiling or awkwardly giggling while I was reading…which actually makes learning fun! It’s well written, totally relatable with it’s guest anecdotes, and it really puts out a message that empowers you to give everything your all rather than listen to that Monkey in your brain that’s getting in your way.

If you’re someone who struggles with that voice in your heading telling you that you’re not good enough, this is the perfect book for you. Not just because it tells you how to combat those invasive negative thoughts, but because throughout the entire book you can just tell that the author understands what you’re going through. We are told that everyone experiences such things, and yet they can often make us feel so alone. I found that this book did an absolutely wonderful job of being both informative and understanding in it’s message.

What did I think?: Although this book was sent to me for review purposes, it’s totally one that I would have picked up in a bookstore on my own. Just looking at the cover, you can tell this is going to be a fun book, and it totally is. It’s easy to read, not terribly long, and it’s one of those that you can read in two minute chunks or in an entire sitting. Not to mention, now you can tell your friends you have a monkey in your head and have an entire book to back up your claims!

Who should read it?: This is another one of those books where I feel like I’m being too vague, but I really think everyone should read. I honestly wish I could have come across it earlier because it’s just that helpful in helping us, as the reader, to understand that we are not alone in the way we are feeling.

*I was provided with a copy of this book in order to conduct this honest review.*




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