Stop. Drop. Meditate.

I’m pacing around my house, practically wearing a path in the floorboards, after getting off a call with someone who shall not be named. Let’s just say… it didn’t go well. She accused me of something that wasn’t true. I was stunned, then angry, then defensive—then ready to rip her head off. (Just being honest.)

Have you ever been there?

You know the feeling: your heart is pounding, your breath is shallow, and your body feels like it’s about to explode. You want to yell, cry, or maybe both. And you can’t stop replaying what just happened in your mind, over and over again. It’s like your nervous system got hijacked, and now you’re stuck in a loop of reactivity.

It’s not a great place to be. In fact, it’s a downright horrible feeling.

Being in a position where you’re wrongly accused or misunderstood can send even the most even-keeled among us into a tailspin. And when you’re spoken to like you’re a child—or worse, completely dismissed—it hits a nerve. It did for me.

I tried to calmly explain what actually happened. I tried to clarify that the story she had in her head wasn’t true. But she wasn’t listening. I could feel my internal fire roaring to life. And trust me, when I get fiery, words come out of my mouth that should not be aired in polite company.

So I did the one wise thing I could manage in that moment: I told her, “You need to get your facts straight,” and I got off the phone. Fast.

Because sometimes the most self-loving thing you can do is not to keep talking.

The Crossroads of Reactivity

Now I had a choice.

Option one: keep the fire burning. I could call my girlfriends or my sisters, rehash the whole story, spin around in the drama like a tornado, and gather a small army of people to validate how wrong she was and how right I was. It would have felt so good… for a moment.

But that path? It leads to more chaos. More disconnection. More anxiety.

Option two: Stop. Drop. Meditate.

I went with option two. And let me tell you—what a relief.

But before I could sit down to meditate, I needed to do something really important.

Step One: Shake It Out

I stood up and literally shook my whole body. Arms, legs, hips, shoulders—everything. Like a wet dog trying to shake off water, I just let it rip. (And yes, if you’re in the mood, punching a pillow works wonders too.)

Why? Because energy needs somewhere to go. When we hold onto stress or anger or sadness, it doesn’t just disappear. It gets stuck in our bodies—our necks, our jaws, our guts. Shaking helps release it. It breaks the loop. It’s movement medicine, and it’s ancient.

After about a minute of shaking like a madwoman (highly recommend, by the way), I could finally sit.

And that’s when I began to meditate.

Step Two: Hand to Heart, Hand to Belly

I sat down, placed my left hand on my heart and my right hand on my belly, and just breathed.

Nothing fancy. No candles. No spiritual soundtrack. Just me and my breath.

That first inhale felt like drinking cool water after walking through a desert of rage. That first exhale felt like a subtle softening in my chest.

I stayed there for about five minutes. Just feeling my breath rise and fall, grounding myself in the rhythm of life.

Step Three: A Simple Mantra

Then I let my hands rest on my thighs, palms down to ground me.

I closed my eyes and began to repeat a simple mantra:

Inhale: “Let go.”
Exhale: “Let God.”

That’s it. Let go. Let God.

You don’t have to be religious for this to work. “Let God” can mean letting life take over. Surrendering to a power greater than your ego. Releasing the need to control the narrative or fix the situation. It’s about handing it over.

With each breath, my thoughts slowed down. My nervous system came back online. I wasn’t spiraling anymore. The heat was cooling.

And here’s the wild part—by the end of those 10 minutes, I no longer felt like a victim. I actually felt compassion for the other person. Not agreement, not justification—but a softening.

Something inside me had shifted.

Why Meditation Works When You’re Triggered

Here’s the truth: when we’re triggered—especially by conflict—our nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode. The logical part of the brain shuts down, and our primal brain takes over. That’s why we say things we don’t mean. That’s why we can’t think clearly. That’s why everything feels like a threat.

Meditation helps bring us back into the parasympathetic nervous system—the calm, rest-and-digest state. It doesn’t mean we ignore the issue. It just means we give ourselves space before we respond. It gives our minds room to reframe, our hearts space to feel, and our bodies a chance to release.

We stop reacting from old wounds and start responding from inner wisdom.

Meditation is not about checking out. It’s about checking in.

Let’s Practice: Your "Stop. Drop. Meditate." Moment

So how do you take this into your life?

Let’s create a simple practice you can come back to anytime you feel triggered, overwhelmed, or stuck in reactive energy. Save it, screenshot it, or print it out. Let it be your reset button.

Stop. Drop. Meditate. Practice (10–15 minutes)

1. Stop.
Step away from the situation if you can. End the call. Leave the room. Close your laptop. Interrupt the pattern before it takes over. Give yourself permission to pause.

2. Drop.
Drop into your body by shaking out the energy.

• Stand up.

• Shake your arms, legs, hips, head—whatever feels good.

• Do this for 30 seconds to a minute.

• If needed, scream into a pillow, punch it, jump up and down. Let the energy MOVE.

3. Meditate.

• Sit comfortably.

• Place left hand on your heart, right hand on your belly.

• Close your eyes.

• Begin to breathe slowly in and out through your nose. Feel your breath move under your hands.

• Do this for 3–5 minutes.

4. Add a mantra.

• Rest your hands on your thighs, palms down to ground.

• Begin silently repeating:

• Inhale: “Let go.”

• Exhale: “Let God.”

• Let your breath be your anchor.

• Continue for another 5–10 minutes.

5. Reflect (optional).
After your meditation, journal or just ask yourself:

• What am I feeling now that I wasn’t before?

• What truth can I see more clearly?

• What do I want to do with this situation moving forward?

In a nutshell

The moment I chose to meditate instead of spiral, everything shifted. Not because the other person changed. Not because I “won” the argument. But because I came back to myself.

I remembered who I am—underneath the anger, the hurt, and the heat of the moment. I remembered that I don’t need to prove myself to anyone. And I remembered that peace is always available, even in the messiest of moments.

The next time life throws you a curveball—or someone throws accusations your way—remember this:

You don’t have to take the bait.
You don’t have to keep the story alive.
You don’t have to burn the house down with your words.

You can Stop. Drop. Meditate.

And in doing so, you just might find that the most powerful thing you can do is breathe.

If you’re curious, the person called me back and apologized profusely for blaming me. She realized she was wrong and asked for forgiveness. If I hadn’t stopped to meditate, I could have escalated the situation with my reaction. Instead, I responded with grace—and that changed everything.