R.A.I.N.

Some of you have received 52 of these emails! I started sending you a practice every Tuesday on January 1, 2019 and I'm celebrating reaching the 52 mark...and celebrating that you continue to read them.

I am grateful for you. 

There were Monday nights when I wasn't sure what I would write. There were moments when I wondered if anyone resonated with these practices. There were times when I thought about quitting.

But, I'm so glad I didn't give into any of that resistance. It was just my self-doubt showing up again (we are looooong time traveling companions). I knew that voice was my inner critic, but more deeply I knew I needed to keep writing for you and for me. 

I love this community of readers. I love it when I hear from you. I love it when you tell me you discussed an email with your family. I love it when you share how you applied a practice at work. I love it when you send me things you think I will find interesting. I love that you want me to put these practices into a book for you (it is coming soon). I love that you are more mindful than you were a year ago. And, I love that we are all more conscious of compassion for ourselves and others. 

If you are new to this weekly email, welcome aboard! This is a dose of love for your soul in your inbox each Tuesday. In a chaotic world, we could all use a little dose of love. So that is my contribution. I will send you a practice each week to help make life a little more peaceful, calm, centered, mindful, spiritual, kind, and loving. 

Thank you for reading. Thank you for giving me a reason to create. Thank you for putting these practices into motion in your lives. Thank you for doing life with me. 

The practice for this week is one I learned from Tara Brach. She is a psychologist and meditation teacher, as well as a leading author on mindfulness. I have put my own spin on it to make it work for me and I hope you will do the same. Make this your own and use this acronym as a guide for this calming practice of self-compassion. 

R.A.I.N.

When you feel anxious, worried, or upset, this practice can help you return to the present moment and help you shift out of the worry. RAIN is also helpful when you are frustrated with someone and need to re-set before you say something that might hurt them or you. 

R - Recognize - recognize what you are feeling right now, the emotions you are feeling, the sensations in your body (tightness in muscles, clinched jaw, head-neck-shoulder pain) 

A - Allow - take a deep breath and say, "yes, I notice that feeling," allow yourself to feel it without pushing it away or trying to correct, notice how you feel without judging how you feel

I - Investigate - ask yourself questions similar to these: What do I need to pay attention to? What do I most need right now? Is there a thought causing this pain, can I release that thought?  

N - Nurture - place your hand on your heart and send a kind embrace inward or imagine a person you love hugging you, send yourself loving kindness 

I often do a quick version of this that sounds like:
I feel stressed. I can feel it in my shoulders. I'm tense right now because I'm afraid of failing or disappointing someone. Place my hand on my heart and say, "you can do this, this is stressful, but it is all going to be okay."

As you show yourself this level of compassion, you naturally become more compassionate when you encounter someone who is worried, tense, or anxious. Softening to your own feelings helps you soften to the feelings of others.

Compassion begets compassion. 

If you were forwarded this email by a friend or heard me speak at an event and are a new subscriber, let me introduce myself. I am a seminary trained coach who works with people on quieting their inner critic, getting unstuck, making big decisions, and finding their purpose. As a pastor, I was not feeling drawn to join a religious institution, so I started CompassionFix.com to be a teacher of love in workshops, coaching, and writing. Prior to seminary, I had an 15-year business career which helps me relate to successful people who say, "If I am so successful, why am I still unhappy?" Between business and seminary, there were a few years of life as a stay at home mom, so I also have an appreciation for those doing the hardest job in the world! I have two children, now ages 14 and 12, they keep me laughing, chauffeuring, and praying. My husband is my best friend, biggest encourager, and works hard to fund all of my new ideas. We have two dogs that teach us what unconditional love is all about. 

Life is good.
The world is crazy.
You are not crazy.
Compassion fixes everything.

Grateful you are here.

Sending you love until next week,