Ep25. Are You Getting Stuck in Your Own Big Feelings?

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In this honest and supportive episode, Nina explores what it means to experience big, difficult emotions as a parent - and how to respond to them in ways that are kind, mindful, and empowering.

Rather than pushing feelings down or getting overwhelmed by them, you’ll learn how to move through them using body-based and compassion-led tools like TIPI and RAIN.

Because feeling frustrated or resentful doesn’t make you a bad parent - it just makes you human. And with the right tools, those big emotions can become opportunities for healing, awareness and growth.

You'll Learn

• Why it’s okay (and even important) to feel anger, frustration, and resentment as a parent

• The difference between blocking emotions and drowning in them

• How to use the TIPI technique in real time to process intense feelings

• How the RAIN method can help you meet hard emotions with compassion

• Simple, in-the-moment strategies for shifting your emotional state

Why This Episode Matters

So often, mindful parenting advice focuses on what to do when your kids lose it. But what about when you do?

This episode focuses on the inner experience of parenting - those hidden emotional build-ups that lead to snapping, shutting down, or self-blame.

It’s not about being a perfect parent. It’s about understanding yourself more deeply so you can respond, not react. If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck in your own big feelings, this one’s for you.

Take Home Action - When You're Stuck in Big Feelings

This week, when a difficult emotion shows up, try one of the five strategies from today’s episode:

 TIPI (Technique for Processing Emotions Through the Body)

1. Pause and close your eyes

2. Notice the physical sensations in your body

3. Stay with the sensation without analysing or judging

4. Let it shift naturally (30–90 seconds is often enough)

RAIN (A Compassion-Based Mindfulness Tool)

1. Recognise the emotion

2. Allow it to be there

3. Investigate with curiosity (What does it feel like? What does it need?)

4. Nurture yourself with kindness

Repeat a Grounding Mantra

Try: “This is hard, not bad.” or “I can feel this and still choose kindness.”

Move Your Body

Shake, stretch, stomp, or dance—movement helps shift emotion quickly.

Name It + Breathe

Say aloud: “I’m feeling really frustrated right now,” and take a deep breath. This activates your thinking brain and creates space to respond more gently.

🧡 Pick just one of these this week and try it once. Then reflect:

• Did it shift the feeling?

• Did it help you stay present?

• Did it change how you responded?

Take the Next Step

If you’re ready to bring these tools into your real-life parenting moments, I’d love to support you. Book a free 20-minute Clarity Call where we’ll talk through one challenge you’re facing - and explore gentle, doable ways to move forward.

Head to https://www.mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au/free-chat to book your free call.

Links and Resources

• Free 20-minute Clarity Call

• Learn more about TIPI 

• Learn more about RAIN meditation 

• Mindful Parenting tools and support here

  
  

Let’s Connect

Want more support? Follow Nina on Instagram, or sign up for tips and updates at mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au.

Have a question or parenting challenge you'd like addressed on the podcast? Send a DM or an email.

• Follow Nina on Instagram

• Website: mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au

• Email: nina@mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au

About the Host

Nina Visic is a mindful parenting coach, podcast host, speaker, and mother of three boys. She’s the founder of Mindful Parenting Lifestyle and is deeply passionate about helping overwhelmed parents reconnect with themselves so they can raise their kids with more calm, confidence, and compassion.

As a trained Mindful Parenting Coach and Parent Effectiveness Training instructor, Nina draws on evidence-based strategies, lived experience, and a whole lot of heart. Her work gently empowers parents to let go of perfection, stay regulated in the chaos, and build strong relationships with their children - one small shift at a time.

In this episode, Nina opens up about the realities of parental emotion - the guilt, the shame, the “why am I like this?” moments - and how simple tools like TIPI, RAIN, and grounding mantras can create powerful change. Her message is one of self-kindness, emotional awareness, and real-life support for parents who want to do better without being perfect.

Transcript

This transcript has been copied and pasted but not proofread or edited, so it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

You're listening to Your Calm Parenting Path. I’m your host, Nina, a mindful parenting coach and mum, here to help you go from overwhelmed and reactive to calm, confident, and connected with your kids.

This show is for parents who want to raise their children with more patience, less stress, and a whole lot more joy. Because small shifts make a big impact—and you can build the parenting life you’ve always wanted.

If you want to see what I’m up to, follow me on Instagram at [your handle]. And don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Now, let’s get started!

 

Hi lovely, and welcome back to Your Calm Parenting Pathand I’m really glad you’re here today.

We’re going to talk about something that affects every single one of us—those big, difficult feelings that come up in parenting. Things like frustration, anger, resentment, overwhelm.

You might be doing everything you can to stay calm… but then something happens—maybe your child talks back, refuses to get in the car, or spills the smoothie you just made—and suddenly you’re seeing red.

And you’re left wondering:

Why do I feel like this? Shouldn’t I be more patient? Is something wrong with me?

Nope. Nothing is wrong with you.

Big feelings are part of the job—and the truth is, you’re not meant to bottle them up or let them take over. There’s a better way.

So in today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through what happens when we block or drown in these big emotions, and then share some powerful tools to help you move through them with more ease and less shame.

Let’s begin.

Before we talk about techniques, we need to get something really clear:

It’s okay to feel what you feel.

We live in a world that tells us to “stay positive,” “keep it together,” or “don’t sweat the small stuff.” And as parents, that pressure can become intense. We start thinking that if we’re doing it right, we’ll stay calm all the time.

But that’s not how parenting—or life—works.

Feelings like anger, frustration, and even resentment are completely normal. They don’t make you a bad parent. They make you human.

Let me show you what I mean:

• Anger might show up when your toddler hits their sibling and laughs about it. That anger? It’s alerting you to a boundary that’s been crossed.

• Frustration might flood in when your 7-year-old is ignoring every request you’ve made in the past 15 minutes. That frustration? It’s pointing to your mental load being maxed out.

• Resentment might creep in when your tween expects you to drop everything to help with a forgotten assignment, and you realise you haven’t had a moment to yourself all day. That resentment? It’s signalling an unmet need.

So instead of thinking, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” I want you to ask:“What is this feeling trying to tell me?”

Because all emotions—even the hard ones—carry information. And when we learn to listen, instead of judge, we start to respond with more intention.

Now, let’s talk about what happens when we don’t give those feelings the space they need.

There are usually two ways this goes:

1. We block the feelings.

This is the “push through” mode. We feel the anger coming up, but we shove it down.We tell ourselves:

• “It’s fine.”

• “I’m overreacting.”

• “Other people have it worse.”

We try to act calm on the outside—but inside, we’re clenching our jaw, holding our breath, and pretending we’re okay when we’re really not.

The problem is, blocked emotions don’t just disappear. They build up. They sit in the background like pressure behind a dam. And eventually? That dam breaks.

2. We drown in the feelings.

This is when we become the emotion.

You’re no longer just feeling frustrated—you’re spiralling in it.You start telling yourself:

• “I’m always yelling.”

• “I can’t do this.”

• “I’m failing my kids.”

Instead of observing the emotion, we get swept up in it. We lose perspective, and the shame kicks in hard.

So, whether you’re blocking or drowning, the result is the same:

We stay stuck. And we miss the opportunity to actually process what’s happening.

Which brings us to the good news…

There is a different way. A better way.

Instead of blocking or drowning, we can learn to stay present with our feelings and let them move through—without getting stuck or reactive.

These two tools have changed the game for me and many of the parents I work with.

1. The TIPI Technique

This is a body-based tool you can use the moment a strong emotion hits.

TIPI stands for “Technique d’Identification sensorielle des Peurs Inconscientes” – and while the name is a mouthful, the practice is beautifully simple.

Here’s how it works:

• When you feel a strong emotion—say, frustration or rage—pause for a moment.

• Close your eyes, and bring your attention to the physical sensations in your body.

• Maybe you feel tightness in your chest. Heat in your face. Tension in your jaw.

• Just stay with that feeling—without analysing it or trying to change it.

• Let your body do what it naturally knows how to do: process.

This can take just 30 to 90 seconds. And often, you’ll feel the intensity shift without needing to “think” your way out.

It’s such a powerful practice because it doesn’t require words. You’re just letting your body move through the emotion.

2. The RAIN Meditation

The RAIN method is a beautiful mindfulness process popularised by Tara Brach. It’s especially helpful when emotions feel really sticky—like guilt, shame, or resentment.

RAIN stands for:

• Recognise: Acknowledge the emotion. “I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

• Allow: Make space for it. “It’s okay that this is here.”

• Investigate: Get curious. “Where do I feel this in my body? What does it need?”

• Nurture: Offer yourself kindness. “This is hard. I’m still a good parent. I’m learning.”

You can do RAIN in the moment, or as a reflection later in the day. If you want support with this, I guide you through a simple version on my website at mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au, or you can find Tara’s full meditations on her website.

Both of these tools help us pause, feel, and move forward without either suppressing or spiralling.

Sometimes, though, we’re in the middle of the chaos—and we just need something we can do right now to stop the spiral.

Here are a few quick ways to shift that emotion without needing to deep-dive:

Repeat a grounding mantra

Pick one or two phrases that anchor you:

• “This is hard, not bad.”

• “I can feel this and still choose kindness.”

• “My child is having a hard time. So am I. We’ll get through this together.”

Say it out loud if you can. It helps rewire your response.

Move your body

Emotion is energy. Shake it out. Stretch. Dance it off.A few seconds of movement can reset your nervous system fast.

One parent I worked with told me she now does three star jumps in the hallway when she’s about to yell—and it works.

Name it + breathe

A simple “I’m feeling really frustrated right now” followed by a slow breath can bring your thinking brain back online.

It’s not about pretending to be calm—it’s about creating the space to choose your next step.

Let me share a quick example from my own life.

Not long ago, we were running late for school. One child couldn’t find his shoes, the other was crying over breakfast, and I could feel it building in me—that volcano moment.

I paused. I said in my head, “This isn’t an emergency.”I put my hand on my chest and said, “I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

And instead of snapping, I took two deep breaths in the hallway.

Did everything magically go smoothly after that? No. But I didn’t yell. I stayed steady. And my kids felt that. And I felt proud of how I handled it.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about catching yourself just one second earlier than usual—and choosing a softer path.

This week, when a difficult emotion shows up, try something different.

Instead of ignoring it—or getting swept away—try one of the tools from today’s episode:

• TIPI – Feel the sensation

• RAIN – Walk yourself through the steps

• A grounding mantra

• Movement

• Just naming it out loud

Just pick one. Try it once. Then reflect:

• Did it shift the feeling?

• Did it help you stay present?

• Did you respond differently?

You don’t have to master it. You just have to begin.

Thanks for being here with me today.

These hard feelings? They don’t mean you’re failing.They’re part of being a parent.But you don’t have to be at their mercy.

You can learn to move through them. Gently. Mindfully. One moment at a time.

And if you’d like some extra support with this, I’d love to invite you to book a free 20 minute clarity call. We’ll talk through one challenge you’re facing, and I’ll give you one or two gentle, doable shifts that can help.

Head to mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au to book your call. The link’s also in the show notes.

And until next time - take care of yourself. You’re doing such important work.