Hi,
Sophia again for Insight Timer.
Thank you for choosing to listen to this meditation.
Hitting play is something to feel good about.
You've taken steps to feel better,
And you shouldn't ignore that.
So take a few seconds to share some appreciation for yourself.
How are you feeling right now?
Is this intense?
Is this despair?
Or are you having a good day?
One way of going about your day feels effortless and light.
Whatever it is,
It's always worth remembering that nothing is permanent.
That might sound harsh,
But have you ever had a crushing day only to look back on it and think,
I'm so glad I don't feel like that now.
The same works for the reverse,
Of course.
My point is,
Even with good weather,
We can always expect a storm.
For a plant to grow,
It has to rain.
Speaking of rain,
That happens to be the name of this technique.
A technique that can really help in times of despair,
Or sadness,
Or stress.
It works by switching the focus outside of ourselves,
Our thoughts,
Our stories,
Which can often be very untruthful.
So if you're ready,
And it feels nice to do so,
Closing down the eyes.
Make sure your arms are supported if you're seated.
If you're lying down,
Make sure you're fully relaxed,
Allowing a sense of no effort.
The first stage of this meditation is R.
R for recognizing.
Just recognizing.
What is happening now?
What's happening in the mind?
Noticing,
Recognizing like it's a friend you've just bumped into.
Is this pain?
Is this grief?
Is this anxiety?
Is this numbness?
Just recognizing,
Going no further than that.
This is despair.
This is sadness.
This is worry.
This is unrest.
Just recognizing.
Once we've recognized the emotion,
The next stage is A,
Allowing.
Allowing.
This might be a difficult thing to think about doing,
But whatever you recognized in stage one,
Allowing it to happen,
Allowing it to the surface.
If you feel safe enough to do so,
Allowing the emotion to reach its full force,
Allowing the emotions and the feelings to happen without tamping them down,
Without pushing them away,
Facing these thoughts head on.
The next stage is I.
I for investigation.
Here we take our metaphorical spyglass and interrogate our emotions.
What do they sound like?
What do they feel like?
What color are they?
What sensations in the body did they cause?
Tingling in the scalp.
Tightness in the chest.
Are your shoulders tight?
Do you notice your frowning?
Investigate.
Maybe the heart is racing or the breath short.
Just turning in on the effects of the emotion without judgment.
This is heat.
This is pulsing.
This makes my palms moist.
This is a lump in my throat.
How does it manifest physically?
Investigating like a detective.
The next and final stage is called non-identifying.
This is where we take a step back and look in on our emotions separate from ourselves so they can't control us.
There's a few ways we can do this.
The first is by giving them a name or even having a conversation with them.
Depression might become Mr Depression.
Sadness might become Mrs Sadness.
I call my anxiety Joe.
And when Joe knocks at my door I say things like,
Oh,
Joe,
You again.
You're showing up a lot lately.
Perhaps you would like a cup of tea.
You see,
The more we humanize them,
The less scarier they become.
The less control over us they have.
Non-identifying.
Separating the emotion from ourselves.
Making it less mysterious.
Next time you're struggling,
Remember.
Recognize.
Investigate.
Non-identify.
Or RAIN for short.
Because for a flower to grow,
It has to rain a little.
Feel free to give this another go now.
Or without the need to rush.
Opening the eyes and coming back to the day.
I hope you found that helpful.
Feel free to ask me any questions.
Just send me a message.
Take care of yourself.
You're more important than you know.
My name's Sophia.
May we all be at peace.
May we all be at peace.
