Let Your Emotions R.A.I.N

Let Your Emotions R.A.I.N

An Occupational Therapy activity worksheet for inpatient psych groups of all ages

This activity was used to discuss emotional regulation in an inpatient behavioral health hospital. This activity was adapted from Michelle McDonald's RAIN acronym as part of the mindfulness movement. Mindfulness is a heightened sense of awareness, being present and focused on something at hand such as your emotions. Acronyms make great strategies, as using a word can make the concept easier to remember. The concept for this activity began because often time when I have a strong emotional reaction like crying (or raining emotions), I'll say "I don't even know why I am crying right now." However, crying is a normal response to strong emotions and a lack of understanding emotions comes from having difficult emotions or multiple emotions at once. The first step to emotional regulation is identifying the strong or difficult emotion(s) as this will lead to a better understanding of how to cope.

Activity

This activity works best in a group therapy setting by going through the rain acronym rain drop by rain drop. I instruct the group to color or fill in the raindrop if there is extra time to bring a creative piece/coping skill in to the activity.

    Recognize

Write down what emotion you are feeling today. 

    Accept

Write down a statement of acceptance or positive affirmation for that emotion. For example, if the emotion is anxiety an affirmation could be "my anxiety does not control me."

    Investigate

Write down what is making you feel this emotion.

    Nurture

Write or draw a few coping skills you can use for that emotion.

Discussion

Emotional regulation is a process that takes understanding. First, comes understanding the basics of emotions and which emotions you are feeling. After recognizing the emotions comes accepting that the emotion is valid because you feel it. Emotions are like warning signs or signals from our bodies to alert us, therefore we should not try to ignore or discredit our emotions just because they may be difficult to process. The third step is identifying the cause of the emotion. Lastly is using coping skills to regulate our emotions. It is important to note that we use different coping skills for different emotions. For example, when you are angry you may need to walk away and be alone but if you are sad isolating could have negative effects and talking to someone you trust may be a more beneficial solution. The goal of this activity is to provide a memorable strategy to work through difficult emotions and cope with our emotions in a positive and healthy way.

Resources

How to use the rain method for difficult emotions: GRW Health Blog. GRW Health. (2019, April 3). Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://www.grwhealth.com/post/how-to-use-the-rain-method-for-difficult-emotions.