Soothing the heat with RAIN
We’re transitioning to the Noongar season of Bunuru, which signifies a time of change and adaptation. During this period, the traditional practice of controlled burning takes place to prevent bushfires and promote new growth.
Many of us turn to nature to renew and recharge our energy, and our emotions have often been likened to weather patterns. We understand that it’s not possible to have just sunny and happy emotions, rainy days and stormy weather are very much a part of our human condition and necessary for life. It may be challenging to manage your emotions along with a neurological condition or diganosis.
Similarly to the challenges our planet faces, if we don’t pay attention to the changing weather patterns within us, it can result in adverse climate conditions. For instance, unaddressed anger can rage uncontrollably, like a bushfire; unattended grief can lead to a tsunami of tears; and unchecked anxiety can manifest into panic attacks.
Therefore, controlled burning can serve as a great metaphor as to how we can attend to our emotions, so that they are well regulated.
What could controlled burning look like as a strategy for preventing emotional bushfires? One suggestion comes from the meditation practice aptly called RAIN by Tara Brach. RAIN stands for Recognise, Allow, Investigate and Nurture.
For example, with the emotion of anxiety, to Recognise is to notice when we begin to feel the smaller nuances of anxious feelings. We might notice signs in our body, such as butterflies in our stomach, a racing heart or that we’re keeping busier than usual. Monitoring this closely allows us to take a step back from a challenging situation to ground ourselves.
Following on from this example, to Allow is to give ourselves permission to feel our emotions without trying to change it and without judgment. We can process our acceptance by talking to the right person (friend or counsellor), or expressed through journalling or art.
To Investigate is where we learn to become more aware of our triggers, more aware of our conditioning and our sensitivities. For instance, if we have grown up in an environment where our caregivers were anxious and easily overwhelmed, we may have learnt behaviours that are not helpful. This knowledge helps us ‘unlearn behaviours’ and rewire our brain with good grounding practices.
Finally, to Nurture is about practicing self-care, treating ourselves with gentleness and compassion. Self-care can be expressed through sleeping well, exercising, eating a healthy diet, having good social connections, leading a purposeful life and spending time in nature.
By noticing, paying attention, monitoring, and looking deeply, we practice mindfulness, which we can apply to both ourselves and our beautiful planet to promote peace and harmony in our lives.
Want to know? Get in touch with our team via Counselling page.
