RAIN For Emotions

The acronym RAIN is an easy-to-remember tool for bringing mindfulness and compassion to emotional difficulty.

RAIN:

Recognize what is going on
Allow the experience to be there, just as it is
Investigate with curiosity
Nurture with self-compassion

You can do this practice as a stand alone or a meditation.

Start by recognizing what emotion/s is present. Can you use the emotion wheel to best identify the experience. Acknowledge it’s presence and that you are aware of it.

Allow this experience to be as it is without judging it, trying to fix it or change anything. Allowing helps us pause and deepen our attention on the experience

Investigating invites curiosity, ask yourself What are my beliefs/ thoughts? How is this experience showing up in my body? What does this need from me? Where do I feel this emotion in my body?

Finally, end with a nurturing hand. Recognize this is a moment of suffering. You might offer some words of support like “ I got you” “ This will pass” “ You are strong”. Or this might be a physical gesture like a self-hug, a hand on the heart or supportive touch to a part of your body that could use love. Sit here and enjoy it’s soothing effects.

RAIN practice helps us sit with our emotions and release the fear and judgement that so often comes with the emotion itself. When we learn that our emotions are safe, we teach our brain that they are not a threat!

JOURNAL PROMPT

Give Rain a try and reflect on how the experience went in your journal.