RAIN

RAIN meditation...Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture. I have been doing the exercises in this book I bought called "Kindness Now" by Amanda Gilbert and am so glad I started it. When I do the meditations I feel a shift in my mood, my thoughts towards others and even my physical well-being.

Doing the RAIN meditation can help you notice how much easier it is to get through tough emotions when you can follow these steps. Step one of just recognizing it is huge! How many times in our life do we just want to be seen and validated? I am forever telling people (and myself ) that just noticing your feelings is half the battle and feeling them where you hold them inside your body, even better! Then to allow, be curious and be there for yourself? That's the stuff of Mr. Rogers! Doesn't everyone love him? Why? He was so kind and curious, non-judgmental, soft spoken and lovely all around. He witnessed people as they were. He was famous for saying, "I like you just the way you are". Wouldn't it be amazing if you could feel the same about yourself? "I like me just the way I am". Go ahead, put your hand/hands over your heart, feel whatever feeling you have there, be patient with your flinching away from the feeling, sit with it, and then love on it. Love on the part of you that doesn't want to love on it. Love on the part of you that may think this is weird. Love on the part of you that might feel defensive or angry about this. Love on the part of you that soaks this up and is so happy about being seen. Now, does that feel better or even just different? That's the aim. Make movement no matter how small. 

There are so many benefits to engaging in this type of self exploration. As stated in the first paragraph, some of those benefits include feeling more settled, improvement in physical well-being, having better communication, setting healthier boundaries and having healthier relationships with yourself as well as others. Try it. What do you have to lose?