Every morning, we have a family meeting at the breakfast table. One of the items on the daily agenda is to pick jobs - and an important one is the weather reporter. That person let’s us know whether it’s hot or cold, sunny or rainy, so we know how to dress and what kind of activities to plan for.

A few weeks ago we experimented with sharing “emotional weather reports” from each family member.

We did it on a whim, but it really helped us get a sense of where everyone was at.

Even though we aren't still doing these reports regularly, this idea has stayed with me.

Because emotions are a bit like weather, aren't they?

Weather is a natural response to atmospheric events. A cold front causes a drop in temperature. Lots of humidity causes a thunderstorm.

The same goes for emotions. They are simply a natural physiological response to the circumstances in our lives. Losing something or someone causes us to feel sad. When something unfair happens, this causes us to feel angry.

Today, I’d like to go one step further than just comparing them and offer you this perspective:

We can interact with our emotions as we would the weather.

Think about this: if the weather is unpleasant - and it could be downright miserable - do we try to stop the weather? (My mind's conjuring up a girl in her bathing suit trying her darnedest to push a giant rain cloud away 😋).

No, we know that the weather must run its full course - ie. every rain drop must fall from the cloud. And we know that the only thing we can do is accept it for what it is - a passing storm, for example - and ride it out.

Emotions are also temporary - they are energy in motion. So, it doesn't make sense to try to push them away. We can use radical acceptance and notice them for what they are - eg. merely a passing wave of anger - and let them run their course, trusting "this too shall pass".

The other important way we can interact with our emotions is to make a plan for how we'll ride out the uncomfortable ones.

When we have unpleasant weather coming, we ensure we're safe by taking shelter, right?

When we feel unpleasant emotional weather coming on, we can also take refuge in a safe space while we let it runs its course. This could mean retreating to a bedroom, for example, to cry, silent scream, or punch a pillow. When we've released every ounce of "rain" or "rage", we'll feel our internal clouds lift and know we can safely emerge from our shelter.

It certainly is a different way of viewing emotions, isn't it?

What does it give you to consider treating your emotions like weather?

The next time you check the weather report, will you take a moment to check in with your current emotional weather? Will you notice if you're feeling truly “sunny” or if there might be a few clouds of anxiety or frustration present? Will you consider whether “rain" or "thunderstorms" feel imminent and where you might go to find refuge?

And who can you share your weather report with so they might offer support?