I settle myself on the bench.
I feel stressed.
I take a moment to recognise that fact.
Recognise - the first step of RAIN.

I feel stressed and anxious
But that's OK, I tell myself.
Acceptance is step two.
The anxiety is already here,
No point in trying to fight it.

Investigate comes next;
Where can I feel the anxiety in my body?
A feeling in my chest, difficult to describe,
like a weight pressing on me...

But the pressure is bumpy,
Not one solid object.
Interestingly, as I focus on the sensations
They start to shift.

Gradually they rise up through my throat
Until they dissipate. 

It's OK to feel anxious; it's an emotion
That will pass.
My fists are clenched,
I unfurl my fingers.

Non-identification is the final step.
This is harder.
I'm haunted by a recurrent thought:
I'm a mess!

But the power of this statement fades as I counter;
You're a thought, 
Not a fact.

I'm not a mess,
I'm stressed and anxious - 
At this moment in time.

I am not defined by my anxiety,
There is more to me than this emotion,
There is more to me than this moment,
Which will pass.

I am not a mess.

As I look up, I see the park; 
Trees, grass, people chatting on other benches.
The sun is shining.
I go back to work.

The RAIN acronym is generally attributed to Michele McDonald but I first came across it in “Mindfulness for Dummies” by Shamash Alidina. Slightly different words are used by different people. For example, the ‘A’ can represent ‘Accept’, ‘Allow’ or ‘Acknowledge’. Tara Brach has developed the RAIN of self-compassion, emphasising the importance of having an attitude of kindness. She has changed the ‘N’ to Nurture, creating a separate step which focuses on self-compassion. Non-identification will then occur after the RAIN.

• Managing anxiety and stress