MY OPINION ESSAYS
The Ultimate JML, Jean-Marie Lee, 2026
A Survival Road Map for People With Racing Thoughts
By Jean-Marie Lee
”Time will pass; these moods will pass; and I will, eventually, be myself again. But then, at some unknown time, the electrifying carnival will come back into my mind." Kay Redfield Jamison
As an artist, I’ve always had racing thoughts.
I remember being in elementary school, walking home and “unwinding” the day out loud — talking to myself to process friendships, playground dramas, and the tiny social catastrophes only a nine-year-old can understand. I didn’t know it then, but I was already building the inner world I would later spend decades trying to decipher.
Throughout my life, I started looking for a sense of guidance in everything — the quiet nudge, the gentle yes, the soft no. I didn’t have language for intuition yet. I just knew I felt things strongly, and often long before anyone else did.
When I was a child, my grandmother’s friend Madeleine taught me one of the most important things I’ve ever learned: “Go with your first instinct.”
She was a working artist and seamstress — sharp, observant, always tuned into subtle details. When she told me to trust my instinct, something in me believed her instantly. I see now that intuition speaks quickly and quietly — and sometimes gets buried under the noise when you’re processing too much at once. When new information comes in before your nervous system has time to sift through it, your first instinct can feel challenged or even suffocated. That’s not a failure of intuition. That’s just overload.
During seasons of high stress or personal upheaval, I found myself living with pulsating, pounding loops—intrusive commentary layered on top of intuition, layered on top of spiritual searching. It became a puzzle:
* What’s intuition?
* What’s a higher spiritual calling?
* What’s anxiety?
* What’s just me?
I spent more than twenty years in therapy, and while I learned many coping skills, no one helped me understand the architecture of my inner world. So, I finally sat down and created the map I wish someone had handed me when I was twelve, sixteen, twenty-five, and thirty-nine.
Maybe it will help you, too. Because when life gets heavy, it magnifies everything: old wounds, family tension, unresolved grief, loneliness, and the sensory overload of racing thoughts that won’t shut off.
THE INNER VOICE ROAD MAP
A simple guide to understanding the different “voices” inside your mind—at any time of year.
0. MONKEY MIND (The Background Noise)
- Tone: Scattered, jumpy, restless, fast
- Body feeling: Overload, buzzing, overstimulation
- Style: Thoughts bouncing from topic to topic
- It sounds like: “I need to do this… oh wait — what about that?” or “Why am I remembering something from fourth grade right now?”
- Signature: Too many tabs open. Noise, not clarity.
Monkey mind isn’t intuition or anxiety; it’s the background static of overstimulation. When it’s loud, the quieter voices become harder to hear. It’s a sign your system is saying: ”I’m carrying too much. Slow down.”
1. THE SPIRITUAL CENTER (The Higher Voice)
- Tone: Peaceful, gentle, patient, steady
- Body feeling: Calm warmth, inner quiet
- Style: Invitations, never commands
- It sounds like: “Here’s the better choice,” or “Rest now.”
- Signature: Freedom. Peace. Options. Clarity.
Anything that pressures, shames, terrifies, or bullies you is not your spiritual center. Truth doesn’t communicate in panic.
2. INTUITION (Your Protective Wisdom)
- Tone: Quick, firm, quiet
- Body feeling: A knowing, a drop in your stomach, a release
- Style: One clear sentence
- It sounds like: “Don’t say anything,” or “Wait.”
- Signature: Instant clarity that protects you.
3. ANXIETY LOOPS (Stress + Old Memories)
- Tone: Repetitive, pressured, urgent
- Body feeling: Tight chest, racing pulse
- Style: Stuck on repeat
- It sounds like: “Fix it right now,” or “Go back, go back, go back.”
- Signature: Fear. Urgency. Repetition. Exhaustion.
These loops are echoes, not messages. They are your nervous system replaying moments that were too overwhelming to process at the time.
4. SELF-TALK (Normal Human Thinking)
- Tone: Neutral, practical
- Body feeling: Mild or none
- Style: Narration and planning
- It sounds like: “Okay, first I need to finish this…”
- Signature: Organizing, reflecting, processing.
WHY STRESS MAKES EVERYTHING LOUDER
Stressful periods—whether they are deadlines, family transitions, or personal milestones—act like an amplifier. Everything gets louder: joy, grief, pressure, memories. When your nervous system is overloaded, every inner voice becomes sharper and more chaotic.
Nothing is wrong with you — it’s just too much input at once.
A 10-Second Reset
Whenever you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself: ”Is this peace, pressure, or noise?”
- Peace = Higher self or intuition
- Pressure = Anxiety
- Noise = Monkey mind
The goal isn’t to silence the mind — it’s to know which voice deserves the brush. If your mind races, loops, or jumps, you aren’t broken. You are someone with a vivid inner world who simply needs a map.
The Inner Voice Cheat Sheet
A 10-second guide to clearing the mental fog.
1. Identify the Voice
- MONKEY MIND (The Noise): Scattered, jumpy, "too many tabs open."
* Action: Slow down. You are overstimulated.
- ANXIETY (The Pressure): Repetitive, urgent, loud, fear-based.
* Action: Breathe. This is an echo of stress, not a command.
- INTUITION (The Guard): Fast, quiet, firm, one-sentence "knowing."
* Action: Trust. This is your protective wisdom.
- SPIRITUAL CENTER (The Peace): Gentle, steady, patient, offers options.
* Action: Listen. This is your source of clarity.
2. The Quick Filter Ask yourself: ”Is this Peace, Pressure, or Noise?"
- PEACE = Follow it.
- PRESSURE = Ignore it (it's anxiety).
- NOISE = Rest (it's overload).
3. The Reminder You aren't broken; you just have a vivid inner world. When it gets loud, just look at the map and find your way back to the quiet.
Posted on: August 5, 2026