At the beginning of my faculty session today, staff were coming in fired up. There had been some controversy brewing in their school, and they were concerned both with how it was being handled and how it was being perceived by the outside community. It was the perfect segue into talking about difficult emotions.

It can be really challenging when an unpleasant emotion comes up to accept it wholeheartedly. We often don’t have the time or space to process through in the moment, so reflective practice can serve help us use some of the tools of mindfulness in a more controlled environment.

A number of meditation teachers offer the the framework of RAIN to work through challenging emotions (see below). By slowing down and fully accepting our emotions, as crazy and irrational as they may be, and getting curious about them, we can give them space to move through unencumbered.

Set aside some time to consider a recent experience that brought up a difficult emotion. Walk yourself through the steps of Recognizing, Allowing, Investigating, and Not Identifying. Notice if you can breathe a little easier on the other side.