Workday Meditation – When You Keep Replaying An Exchange

It’s very easy to get stuck replaying a negative, frustrating, or embarrassing event in our heads. But it isn’t productive or healthy to stay fixated. This brief practice helps you break out of the rerun loop so you can move forward. Let go of rehashing something that’s happened and preempt pre-hashing an interaction as well.

Background music used under Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0; "Piano Sonata No 1 in F minor II Adagio" by Steven O'Brien.

Transcript

Sometimes I find myself replaying an exchange in my head.

Maybe it's from an email,

Or a meeting,

Or interaction with a colleague.

When I say replaying it,

I mean not in a good way.

Maybe it's how I wish I had said something different,

Or the other person or situation is frustrating me.

Whatever the case,

I keep rehashing it in my head,

Even though I'd just like to let it go.

It's so easy to fall into the pattern of the story.

I like to call this pattern replaying,

Or looping,

Or wheel grinding,

Or stewing,

Or reruns.

Imagine that every time you cycled through one of these reruns,

You sent out a cord of energy to the other party or parties involved.

And this energetic cord is tethering you to that negative experience.

For the exchange that you're replaying in your head now,

See where you picture those cords coming from.

For a lot of people,

It might be coming straight out of your gut,

Or your heart,

Chest area,

Maybe your neck,

Or maybe your head.

Let's imagine with each inhale,

You draw back one cord,

And with each exhale,

Your energy settles back into you.

It might help to close your eyes for this exercise.

On an inhale,

Draw back a cord.

Exhale,

Let the energy dissipate.

Inhale,

Draw back a cord.

Exhale,

Let it dissipate.

Keep going for a few more rounds.

It's normal if later today the negative story comes back.

But if it does,

As soon as you notice it,

You can say to it,

Hello there,

Pattern.

I see and I release you.

You can imagine you caught your energy cord in midair before it reached the other person.

You can pull it back with an inhale and discharge the energy with an exhale.