I'm quite sure we have all experienced a little or a lot of grief, sadness, fear, anxiety, and/or discouragement lately. Afflictive emotions arise when something happens to us that we do not want, or when something we want does not occur. These feelings, if not attended to, may cause apathy, withdrawal, or attempts to dominate others.
I've been reminded via one of my favorite podcasts about the practice of RAIN as a way to work through these emotions in a healthy manner.
- R- Recognize the emotion you are feeling, without judgment i.e. I feel anxious about..... I'm angry about..
- A- Allow this emotion, and make space to feel it.
- I - Inquire of yourself, with kindness. Is the story I'm telling myself true? Do I know for sure that it is true, or is it just a feeling? What would my life look like if I stopped believing it is true?
- N- Nurture yourself. You are not your emotions. Be a friend to yourself. This step, in my opinion, must include affirming the truth about how God sees me. His love and grace are what will allow me to love myself.
To be honest, this process needs to be a daily practice for me sometimes! I can believe I'm doing fine until I come across an IG post or a video clip, or see one too many masks, and POOF! I'm back in the land of frustration and discouragement.
It also helps to spend time outdoors, have good conversation with friends, focus on helping others, and of course, to remind myself often of the truth found in God's Word.
How do you bring yourself back to calmness and hope?
I like that RAIN; I'm going to have to print it out and use it. I usually listen to praise music or talk to God and remind myself nothing that is going has caught him by surprise. It usually helps :)
ReplyDeletebetty
RAIN - That's one I had not heard before. I will have to remember that. I am fortunate to have a best friend whom I can call and safely "vent" with and vise versa. We have been sharing and praying together for many years. I also sometimes get up in the middle of the night and sit looking out a window at the stars or the rain falling and just have long out quiet conversations with God.
ReplyDelete