Welcome to Wonderball.
How are you doing?
This is day 14 of our Mindfulness in Isolation course,
Where we've been keeping you company and helping you learn more about mindfulness.
And hopefully,
You've been feeling the benefits.
This experience is all about how to cope with strong emotions.
Because we're human,
And here's what happens.
Every day,
Emotions show up.
Often,
They're unexpected,
Unannounced,
And even unwelcome.
But there's a mindfulness technique that can help us handle these emotional visits in a way that means they won't just rock up all out of control and trash the place.
And like any good multi-step process,
This one comes with a handy acronym so you can remember it when you need it.
R-A-I-N for RAIN.
R stands for recognize,
A is acknowledge,
I is investigate,
And N is nurture.
Let's stick with this idea of emotions turning up unannounced,
Like a knock on the door.
And think of the recognized step as the moment you crack open the door.
Oh,
It's anger,
Or,
Hmm,
Anxiety again.
Acknowledge is the next step.
Often,
Our first instinct is to push away difficult emotions.
Acknowledge is accepting it,
Opening the door.
Investigate is getting curious,
Asking a few gentle questions.
What does this emotion feel like in your body?
Why is this emotion here?
What is it telling you you need?
And nurture.
This is a compassionate moment,
Without any self-judgment.
This is a nice kappa and a hug.
So let's try.
Think of the emotion you would most like to get control of.
Start with a recognition,
A greeting,
And then an acknowledgement.
Don't push it away,
Open the door.
Next is the investigation,
A few questions.
Why is this emotion here?
Where does it come from?
And what is it telling you?
And finally,
Nurture,
Compassion,
Soothing,
A bit of kindness.
Our brain loves to make comment and pass judgment on our feelings.
This is a moment to let go of that critical self-talk.
You can use this technique whenever strong emotions come calling,
And you'll find yourself more in control of your response,
Which can make a big difference to you and the people around you.
So good on you,
One day at a time.
Thanks for being here.
