Let it R.A.I.N: MINDFULNESS FOR DIFFICULT TIMES
Are you living in STRESSful times? Do you feel Angry, Excited, Sad, or Anxious? People can react in erratic, out-of-character ways under stress. We see the aftermath a lot on the news! Stress was designed to keep you safe from immediate bodily harm. Stress chemicals affect your Amygdala (part of your Limbic Brain responsible for decision making, emotional responses, fear, anxiety and aggression). In caveman days, it saved our lives as we physically fled from a predator. Stress today is more likely to get us into trouble or make us chronically ill (internally) if left unchecked. Stress today shows most often internally, causing inflammation, sleep issues, lack of concentration, gut distress and dysbiosis, hormone imbalances, and body aches.
So how do we disrupt this reactive response and re-engage our brains and bodies for health and protection? One technique is, R.A.I.N. It can be used anywhere, anytime to bring calm and clarity and peace.
The R.A.I.N. technique helps us tell the difference between a tiger chasing us and a stressful election season. To stave off these effects, it’s helpful to have a set of tools to soothe our emotions and get back to equilibrium in body and mind. I want to share with you a 4-step mindfulness process that offers ‘in-the-moment’ support for working with intense and difficult emotions.
RAIN is an acronym:
1. R Recognize what is happening
2. A Allow life to be just as it is
3. I Investigate inner experience
4. N Non-identification
“R” stands for ‘Recognize.’
Recognize that even when the stressor is not in our control, how we react to it IS in our control.
In an open and non-judgmental way, recognize the strong emotion and notice how you experience it.
Tune in to the present moment’s experience of what is happening in your body and mind… notice your emotions, thoughts, and sensations.
It can be helpful to mentally name your emotion: for example, “I am feeling angry” or “I am feeling overwhelmed.” This recognition of what you’re feeling opens up a space and brings you into full contact with yourself in the present moment.
“A” stands for ‘Allow.’
Allowing means to ‘let it be as it is.’ It is the acknowledgement and acceptance of your present moment and reality. Allowing doesn’t mean that we have to like the situation. It means that we aim to soften (or drop) our mental resistance to what is happening.
This step is important because we often have the unconscious impulse to push away, suppress, or ignore difficult emotions. When we engage in inner struggles, we unknowingly create more suffering and tension.
In this unconscious struggle, we also tend to get ‘caught up’ in our thoughts and emotions. This makes us more likely to react rather than being able to choose a conscious response.
By allowing, we’re able to bring an inner ‘yes’ to our present moment’s experience. After allowing yourself to ‘let it be as it is’, you may notice almost immediately a sense of softening and ease around the emotion.
“I” stands for ‘Investigate.’
Now that you have recognized and allowed your emotion, you can choose to investigate it. You may not always feel that you need the “I” step, as sometimes just the recognition and acceptance is enough. At other times, you may feel naturally drawn to using this step.
To investigate, you can mentally inquire with questions like “Why do I feel the way I do?” “Are there events that happened ahead of the emotion that might have influenced it?” “Are there physiological factors (such as not getting enough sleep) that are affecting the emotion?” “What do I really need right now?” “Are there actions I could take to nurture and support myself (and/or others) in this difficult time?”
These questions can help us enter wiser relationships with emotions and thoughts. With this process of investigation, we can choose a conscious response to foster a more meaningful life. Investigation may even resolve and dissolve the emotion completely at times (although this is not the goal).
“N” stands for ‘Non-identification.’
In the “N” step of R.A.I.N, you turn your attention to the simple realization that YOU are not your mind nor are you your emotions. You are the awareness that is always there underneath every thought, emotion, and sense perception.
Non-identification means that your sense of who you are is not fused with or defined by your thoughts and emotions. This brings about a natural sense of freedom and ease. It allows you to have peace in the middle of it all. No matter how intense and painful the emotional storm, there is always a part of you that is still, silent, and untouched.
You can use this R.A.I.N. method anytime you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or out of touch. *changing your reaction to a person or situation that you often encounter * visiting relatives * doing a presentation * changing a habit *
Did you try it out and have some feedback or experiences to share?
If you’d like to read more about R.A.I.N, I recommend reading the works of Tara Brach and particularly her book, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart.
