We all have things that hook us.

You know, our pet peeves, things that push our buttons, things we roll over and over in our thoughts. We have our internal hooks too like cravings, addictions, clinging and any of those tight, sticky sort of feelings. We hook ourselves with our wild imaginations and all the stories we concoct about who we are and what’s going on. The “good” stuff can hook us too: the compliments, the approval, the ego fluffing.  Even the hooks that feel good aren’t helping you. In Buddhism, we call this shenpa, or attachment.

I have some unfortunate news: it’s never going to stop.

Our Velcro coated brains are going to keep getting stuck on every little thing that floats through them–good or bad. People are going to keep doing things that piss you off. People are going to keep complimenting you, and you are going to keep craving it. You are going to keep saying things you regret, and you will roll them over and over in your head when you are trying to sleep at night.

The good news? The act of noticing that you’re hooked helps.

Seeing it clearly is more important than trying to get rid of it.

Step two for dealing with all your sticky, hooked shenpa places?

Meditation.