Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott overlooking the South Hams.
I'm on the top of Ugbera Beacon which is on Dartmoor and looking down towards the estuary of the River Urn which goes all the way down to Mothercomb and I can see the ocean there sparkling silver in the sunlight.
It's a really glorious October day.
I'm just sheltering behind some rocks taking a breather having walked smartly up the hill and I'm just enjoying this breather feeling the breeze looking at the view feeling very settled actually.
And today is a reminder about thoughts and thinking.
I spoke with my client today and a couple weeks ago she was quite overwhelmed with all the things she had to do.
That's the way she described it to me and when she spoke with me I just shared with her that you know those feelings of overwhelm weren't telling her about everything she had to do.
Those feelings of overwhelm were a sign a signal to remind her that her mind was really busy and it was time for her to slow down.
And today two weeks later we spoke again and she sounded so much more settled and we explored how things had been in the previous two weeks and she said that she just found herself feeling settled and from that place she'd made some good quality decisions about earmarking time for her to crack on with strategic work,
Delegating other people to go to meetings that freed up some time for her.
She just explained that she had been much more mindful of the amount of things she did and as such she was feeling really settled.
And then she said to me but I'd really like it if I could get rid of those overwhelmed thoughts and feelings.
I just don't like it when they appear.
And you see I have a very different relationship with feelings that are unsettled or uncomfortable because I don't want to get rid of them and this is what I shared with her is that it's not about getting rid of those feelings.
That's not what is useful because those feelings are giving you good information.
They're letting you know when your mind is sped up and when you are feeling unsteady and unstable and it's really helpful to know that because when you experience that you're able to bring your attention back within,
Able to settle,
And then from that space of settledness you'll just find that you'll make some good quality decisions about what to do next.
You see most of the time we feel overwhelmed or unsettled and then we get very busy trying to fix those feelings of overwhelm and unsettledness and I'm really clear I don't want to get rid of those feelings.
They're really useful.
I find them useful.
They keep me on track.
They help me realize when I've gone astray.
So my request to you is that you maybe reflect on that for yourself,
That those feelings,
Uncomfortable feelings,
Unsettled feelings,
Overwhelm,
Stress,
Anxiety,
Whatever it might be for you,
Don't try and get rid of them.
They're actually giving you good quality information.
They're signs.
They are your friend.
They're reminding you that you are living life at too fast a pace and it's time to bring your awareness back within.
I remember watching a documentary many,
Many,
Many years ago.
I can't even remember who it was but I do remember this man was working with some youngsters who were very unruly and he had this extraordinarily calm air about him and these youngsters were probably nine,
Ten year olds,
Something like that,
Unteachable probably was the description they would have been given then and I remember watching this documentary and he went into the room where the children were and they were playing up and being noisy and shouting and swearing and he settled down and he started,
My recollection is that he started doing a bit of artwork and one of the children became curious and came up to him and tried to see what the artwork was and had a conversation with him and around him all the other children were still shouting and screaming and he didn't give them any attention.
He continued talking to the youngster that was with him and then another youngster came up and was curious and another one and they started drawing as well and one by one these children they settled down and became curious about what this man was doing.
He hadn't gone around trying to discipline or tell the youngsters off.
Instead what he'd done is he'd brought his attention and awareness to a settled space and in doing so it did something for those children.
So today is just a reminder when you feel unsettled bring your attention within,
Bring it to that settled space and as you bring it to that settled space notice the difference in your unruly,
Unhelpful,
Uncomfortable feelings.
See what happens to them.
