#MindfulMonday with Riley After you speak to someone, do yo..
Added 2021-05-03 22:50:41 +0000 UTC#MindfulMonday with Riley After you speak to someone, do you sometimes find yourself replaying the conversation in your head afterward? Do you pore over what you said, specifically, and maybe cringe here and there? Do you wish you said something different or worry that you came off as rude or otherwise unlikeable? Does the conversation continue to repeat in your head even long after you're done being interested in it? You're not alone. In mindfulness, we call it rumination. It is a way to over-plan and control anxiety. It means replaying life events in an attempt to make sure that next time we're totally prepared and won't feel anxious. Sadly, it's futile. Rumination never stops worry; it rewards it. Worry is a habit that won't be solved by time-consuming problem-solving. My worst ruminating habit is replaying conversations. I can say just three words to someone and end up thinking about those three little words for the next hour after the conversation is through. What's the solution to this exhausting process? A more conscious effort on my part to avoid rumination is by practicing optimism in other parts of my life. It's easier said than done. Letting it go isn't that easy. Instead, I've tried to accept four things in life. Whenever I meditate, I try to repeat those four things to myself. Whenever I do breathing techniques or am anxious, I try to reread those four things. Give it a go. Please read them here for the first time. And try to remember them whenever you get anxious or ruminate. It may not cure everything, but it can certainly help to ACCEPT those. Here we go: 1. We can't control how other people view us. 2. People really are more concerned with themselves than the things other people say and do. 3. Other people can and will judge us, and it ultimately doesn't matter. You are not defined by the adoration of others. You are much more than that. You are what you love, not what loves you. 4. You never know what's going to happen in the future, and you've been improvising just fine your whole life.
