Self-judgment

"I can't stop replaying it in my mind," said the Stag
"You need to forget it," said the Rat
"Where are you replaying it in your body?" said the Wren

The River kept moving

You keep replaying it.

The meeting where you said the wrong thing. The decision that backfired. The moment you lost your temper.

Over and over. Same scene. Same shame. Same self-judgment.

The Rat says, "You need to forget it." Just move on. Don't think about it. Push it down and keep going.

But suppression doesn't work. The replay doesn't stop. It just moves underground, into your tension, your sleep, your next decision when pressure rises.

Here's what's actually happening: you're stuck in a mental loop because you're trying to solve it with thinking. But the replay isn't just in your mind. It's in your body.

Your chest. Your throat. Your stomach. Somewhere, you're holding it.

The Wren asks: "Where are you replaying it in your body?"

Not "why can't you let it go?" Not "what did you learn?" Just: where is it?

When you locate it, when you bring awareness to the actual physical location of the replay—something shifts. You can't be fully lost in the mental loop while you're noticing where your body is holding it.

This isn't analysis. It's attention. And attention breaks rumination.

The River kept moving. Not because it forgot what happened. Because it doesn't replay. It processes and flows.

Where are you replaying it in your body right now?

Stories from the Vltava River.