Depending on your environment, you might hear gossip every single day. The opportunities for speculation and sensationalism are constant — and sometimes tantalizing.

Resist.

Here’s the thing. You know what you know. You have your own reality anchors. You know what is true, what is connected to you, and what isn’t. The practice is learning to return to that — deliberately, and on purpose.

Start with what’s actually there.

If you need to, write down the gossip conversation in full. Then cross out anything you don’t know for certain to be fact. What’s left is what you work with. That’s your ground.

Now, ground yourself physically.

Feet on the floor. Feel the support underneath you.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Repeat — silently or out loud:

“I know what is relevant here. I know what is connected to me. I know what I can let go. I am in control of the flow of information into my brain.”

Notice what happens in your body when you say that. Do you feel tension in your chest? A pit in your stomach? Or do you feel calm — maybe even strong?

Notice. Name. Feel.

Now go a little further.

Think of a time — at work or anywhere — when you used information from your body to guide a decision. How did you feel? What did you do? What was the result?

If that memory feels strong, hold onto it. Grounding in your own lived experience builds something real. That is a behavior worth repeating. Strength is a resource — and it is yours to draw from.

If that memory brings up something harder — shame, regret, a sense of having gotten it wrong — stay with it for a moment.

Picture yourself holding a book titled SHAME. Now picture yourself walking to a library shelf, setting it down, and walking away. How do you feel without carrying it?

Now revisit that memory. Change what happens. This time, you navigate it well. You walk away knowing you did what was right for you. How does that feel?

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Live in the knowledge of yourself — your surroundings, your colleagues, your job. Live in what is sure. Turn away from baseless speculation.

You’ve got this.

What Just Happened is a series about identifying and responding to abusive tactics at work. Tomorrow, we’ll look at sabotage.

For news, updates and more resources, visit unmanagedpeople.com.

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