Greetings!
Let’s talk about RAIN. Two kinds: the wet stuff that falls from the sky and another lesser known one that has nothing to do with water.
I’ll begin with the latter.
When I was working with a family counselling agency a few years ago, I learned a very powerful grounding technique called the RAIN self-compassion meditation.
It’s an easy way to step out of challenging emotions that could be weighing you down. Maybe it’s a stressful situation you’re dealing with. Or it could be feelings of sadness, self-criticism, insecurity or unworthiness that have you feeling down in the dumps.
You know, sometimes we are our own worst critic.
We ruminate over things others have long forgotten, worry about the future, or we criticize ourselves non-stop without ever realizing how we’re damaging our mental, emotional and even our physical well-being.
When was the last time you really showed yourself some kindness, compassion and love?
RAIN is an easy mindfulness tool that can be used to let go of whatever heavy emotions are not serving you. It has four steps and it stands for:
1. Recognize what’s going on
2. Allow the experience to be there, just as it is
3. Investigate it with kindness, and
4. Nurture what you find, and give yourself the comfort and reassurance you need from a place of natural, loving awareness
The RAIN meditation works like this: every time you’re feeling hurt, judged, fearful, anxious or unworthy, simply slow down. Notice and catch the emotion. Name it, observe it and allow it to be there without changing anything. Then ask yourself some probing questions, such as “why am I really feeling scared about this thing?” “Or “what do I really need right now – is it safety, kindness, some reassurance or love?” Finally, give yourself some rest, as you sit in the natural presence and awareness of your feeling, and gently let the negative emotion go because it doesn’t define who you really are. With an open, loving heart, feel the heavy emotion slowly dissolve.
The more you practice the RAIN meditation, the better you’ll get at dropping negative emotions that really don’t serve you. Over time, this type of RAIN can cleanse and free your mind from shackles that are often self-created and harmful to our ability to thrive. Over time, your confidence and self-esteem can improve, depression and anxiety can dissipate, and you can feel more balanced and grounded knowing you have the skills to handle negative emotions effectively without getting swept away by them.
Today, why not see if you could benefit from using the RAIN meditation in a situation that’s not serving you well?
Here are some situations where you can begin to practice using RAIN:
– When you’re triggered by something someone has said, or a social media post
– When you’re reminded of a past event that you keep replaying in your mind, causing you to feel negative
– You’re worrying about a future event so much that it begins to cause you angst
– When you’re stuck in situations beyond your control, such as sitting in traffic
– After reading the news and you begin to feel depressed, angry or fearful
If you’d like to learn more about the RAIN self-compassion meditation, check out this article from Tara Brach, a world-renowned psychologist and meditation teacher here which also has an audio for you to try it out.
Now, for the first type of RAIN, I’m going to share some actual sounds of rain as a form of sleep meditation. When you listen to the rain falling outside, you’re aligning yourself to an important element of nature – water. If you’re struggling with getting a good night’s sleep, the relaxing sound of rain could help with lulling you into a peaceful slumber:
Relaxing Rain and Thunder Sounds, Fall Asleep Faster, Beat Insomnia, Sleep Music, Relaxation Sounds
Want some coaching to learn how to meditate? Book a free session with me here to get started.
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