The 44: When We Get Hooked

So you’re doing Practice 4 – Dropping From Stories to the Body … and you might notice that our minds have the tendency to get hooked on certain kinds of stories.

For example, you might get hooked into a story of resentment. This resentment narrative isn’t helpful, as it makes you unhappy and harms your relationship with another person. But when you’re hooked into the story, it’s hard to stop! One moment you’re present, the next you’ve been yanked into a kind of daydream about resentment.

We might get hooked into stories of self-criticism, of feeling like a victim, of wanting to give up or procrastinate (“one more video won’t hurt!”). We get hooked all the time, and it’s not always helpful.

What we can do, to stop from making ourselves unhappy or harming our relationships … is notice when we’re hooked. Get good at recognizing it.

I urge you to start noticing when you’re hooked into a storyline about another person, or yourself, as you go through your day.

What does it feel like when you’ve gotten hooked? Can you interrupt the pattern and drop into your body, and be present with whatever physical sensation is going on there? Can you be curious and welcome whatever physical sensations you find?

Try it, and see if you can let go of your stories, let go of being hooked, and return to the present moment.