Getting Off The Merry-Go-Round Of The Mind Standing Steady On The Three-Legged Stool

We’ve all been there. A thought slips in — a “what if,” a fearful image, or a replay of the past — and suddenly you’re on the “Machshova Merry-Go-Round.” At first, it’s gentle, the horses and zebras bobbing up and down. But if you don’t step off early, the ride speeds up, the music blares, and you’re gripping the pole, dizzy and far from calm.

From a Torah perspective, these runaway thoughts are distortions — distractions from mo’ach shalit al halev, the mind ruling the heart (Tanya, ch. 12). From neuroscience, they’re self-reinforcing loops between the amygdala and the brain’s default mode network, flooding the body with stress hormones.

The good news? You can become the operator — the one with the red stop button. The way to do this is by standing on the Three-Legged Stool: body, soul, and mind.

The Wandering Operator
Imagine a carousel operator who steps away for hot dogs, carnival games, and cotton candy. Forty-five minutes later, the riders are sick and desperate to get off. That’s what happens when our “button operator” — the prefrontal cortex — leaves its post and the amygdala runs unchecked. The longer the spin, the harder it is to stop.

The Early Exit Principle
The best time to step off is at the start, when the ride is still slow. Simply grounding yourself — noticing your breath, your feet on the floor, or the taste of tea — interrupts the loop. In Chassidic terms, this is chazara, “return.” In neuroscience, it’s activating the prefrontal cortex to redirect attention.
William James put it best: “The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will.” (1890)

The Three-Legged Stool
A stool needs all three legs — remove one, it collapses. Likewise, for stability we must engage soul, body, and mind.

• Soul — Bitachon (Trust): Evening can amplify worries. Five minutes of Sha’ar HaBitachon or a Rebbe’s letter about trusting builds calm and confidence. Neuroscience confirms: internalizing safety cues dampens the amygdala’s alarm (Davidson & McEwen, 2012).
• Body — Breathing Contest: Inhale gently through your nose; exhale slowly through a small opening, as long as possible. Long exhalations trigger the vagus nerve, slowing the heart and lowering stress hormones (Siegel, 2007). “Relaxation is found in the exhale.”
• Mind — Training Attention: Each time you bring wandering thoughts back during meditation, you strengthen attentional control networks in the brain (Miller & C’de Baca, 2001). This literally rewires the mind to be more stable and less reactive.

The Freedom of Choice
Rambam teaches that it’s easier to replace a thought with a positive one than to argue with a negative. Torah and neuroscience agree: peace lives in the present.
Daily practice — evening trust, calming breaths, morning meditation — prepares you to press the stop button before the ride takes over. The merry-go-round will always be there. But so will the button. Stand steady on the three legs, and you’ll be the Chooser — calm, grounded, and free.

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With Gratitude,

Rus Devorah

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Article References

Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3093

James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology (Vol. 1). Henry Holt and Company.

Miller, L., & C’de Baca, J. (2001). Finding the center: Meditation and neuropsychology. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 15(3), 221–230.

Siegel, D. J. (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of well-being. W. W. Norton & Company.

Shneur Zalman of Liadi. (1796). Tanya. Kehot Publication Society.

Ibn Pakuda, B. (11th century). Chovot HaLevavot [Duties of the Heart], Sha’ar HaBitachon.

Rambam, M. (n.d.). Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’os, Chapter 6.

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. (1986). Igrot Kodesh (Vol. 43). Kehot Publication Society.