We’ve all got some kind of running commentary in our heads, acting like the voiceover to our personal life movie. For some it runs from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. For others, especially if you’ve done a certain amount of meditation or inner-work, the commentary has long periods of silence but still pipes up every now and again responding to some challenging situation. The commentary can range from the mundane, running through to do lists, to profound insights and ideas directed by our intuition or higher consciousness.
The type of commentary that is most common however, and the most debilitating, is negative self-talk. We may not even realise the way in which we speak to ourselves, but next time you suddenly feel your mood change, a wave of anger, depression, anxiety or some other emotion taking a hold of you, your body tense up or feel heavy, your solar plexus knot up, your neck tighten – try to remember what thoughts you were just having. Try to remember beyond the topic you were thinking about – let’s say it was worrying about money. What was your commentary saying exactly? “I never have enough”? “Life is always such a struggle?”
We hear these thoughts and believe that they are our truth, because they are reflecting how we think or feel about something in that moment. So we just let the commentary tape keep playing because we assume it’s just voicing what we’re thinking and feeling.
; I bought a new one this weekend. There is nothing wrong with the old chair; it’s in good condition, clean, and still usable. But it was always a little awkward–if I raised it high enough so I could type comfortably my feet didn’t quite touch the floor. If my feet touched the floor, I had to reach up to type… and there was something else about it. I bought it when I was dating someone I’m no longer with and he put it together for me. Every time I looked at the chair, I was reminded of him and our chaotic relationship. So I decided to get rid of the chair and purchase something more comfortable and functional, and that has no memories associated with it. Is there something that reminds you of an ‘old’ love you need to let go of? There may be more to this than you know.
