Feelings are like the weather
You may have heard the phrase before: feelings are like the weather. It can be easy to get caught up in them, or feel like they will never end. But just like the weather, feelings come and go — and while they are around, they might have something to tell us. Observing our emotions mindfully, with a sense of curiosity and openness, can allow us to savour positive feelings and not become overwhelmed by negative ones. With mindfulness, we can learn to be okay with whatever we are feeling and take care while increasing our resilience.
You might like to try the following exercise to explore your feelings through meditation, using the acronym R A I N suggested by psychologist, author and meditation teacher Tara Brach:
- Recognise the feeling and acknowledge it fully, giving it a name if that is helpful.
- Accept the feeling, noticing any resistance or gripping you might be experiencing.
- Investigate the feeling and its manifestations in your body, there might be a certain quality to it, a particular physical location or image that accompanies it. How about the size and intensity of the feeling — does it match the situation or was that a trigger to something deeper? What can all this tell you about what you need right now?
- Non-identification — the feeling is just that, a feeling, and it is temporary. Whilst it may or may not have something to teach you, it is not you and it is not permanent. You can then Nurture yourself with self-compassion.
If you find yourself wanting more support to practice this, here are some guided RAIN meditations you could try.
