Cardigan Empire

Salt Lake City Fashion Stylist

Beauty-full Tuesday: Carrie of Inside the Bungalow

I absolutely and entirely adore this woman. She is strong, smart, and so beautiful. And she’s even put together a kit for perfectionists (I think she’s doing it just for me). Meet Carrie Hensley of Inside the Bungalow.
As a perpetual people pleaser, I have spent most of my life molding myself into what I thought everyone wanted me to be. Reflecting back, I realize how much energy was spent trying to achieve perfection, invisibility, fitting in, shutting down, measuring up, measuring down. As a perfectionist, one tends to focus solely on what’s wrong, missing countless opportunities to celebrate what’s right. Through yoga and mindfulness, I have learned to embrace the gifts and talents that are unique to me.
One method, in particular, called R.A.I.N has been instrumental in releasing my deeply rooted perfectionist tendencies & self-criticism. Rain is an acronym for:

Recognize

Allow

Investigate inner experience with Intimate attention

Non-identification
The first step of R.A.I.N is to Recognize when you have been triggered/hooked: Can you recognize when you become irritated, annoyed, stressed, busy?

The second step of R.A.I.N is to allow your emotions: Okay, I’m irritated, annoyed. Don’t try to change, control, judge…Just pause and allow.

The third step in R.A.I.N is to Investigate your inner experience with Intimate attention: Tightness in chest, heat in back, clenching jaw, jumping out of skin…Dig deeper…Can you put an emotion to it?…Anger, sadness, alone…The second I is getting intimate with it. Can you snuggle up to the anger, sadness, truly allow yourself to experience it? For me, I learned as I sat with the sadness and anger of being a perfectionist, underlying was a feeling of unworthiness.

As we do this, we begin to experience the N in R.A.I.N. Non-identification. We start to see that we are not our emotions, beliefs or thoughts. They are impermanent. They come and go.

As I sat with the anger, feelings of unworthiness, an amazing gift occurred…they lessened their hold on me. I began to see that I am more than my emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. Each of us is worthy to wake up to the beauty and awe that exists within.

Feed me fashionably fresh

Comments

  1. Reachel, I feel the same way about you!!! You are one of my absolutely favorite women, inside and out!

  2. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! This was exactly what I needed.

  3. What I great post! 🙂 The RAIN concept is really good – I’m going to have to use that. Starting now. I find that my pilates practice helps me to wind down at night. Unfortunately, I always seem to focus on the *one* negative thing that happened to me during a day and let it ruin the entire day.

    I needed to hear this, so thanks! 🙂

  4. carrie is one of the women I admire most in this world. I don’t see enough of her anymore! I love what you are doing carrie! You are amazing!
    xoxo

  5. What a beautiful post to carry with me this week (and hopefully longer)! This is a practice we can all benefit from, truly.

    I have only had the good fortune to meet Carrie a couple of times, but I *love* Inside the Bungalow and everyone I have met there! It’s a beautiful place, a beautiful vision built by beautiful people.

  7. Miranda & Mysterious M, I’m so glad it’s helpful! It’s a great tool to get us out of our heads and into the present moment. Beth, I miss and adore you beyond words!! So glad we have you near in the video @The wizzle:) Natalie, I hope it works.