The Clarity After The Muddle - March 20

When you notice unsettled thinking, you're already on the way to clarity. In today's 5 Minutes in Nature, Liz explores how life can feel complicated and overwhelming when our thinking is muddled. But when clarity arrives, something shifts — there's a sense of spaciousness, a quieter mind, and the freedom to meet life as it is without the need to overplan or overthink. What do you notice about your thinking right now?

Transcript

Hello and welcome to five minutes in nature with me Liz Scott. Oh it's cold today. I'm just pausing in the lane that's about to lead me up onto Dartmoor which is a very wide expanse of land and I'm actually in the lane which is flanked either side by trees, Pausing, Looking over a wooden farm gate into a field. It's just slightly sheltered here because the rain is coming down, The mist is coming down and it feels as though we have stepped backwards into winter after having a very promising step into spring for a few days. Today is a reflection on clarity of mind and the difference between clarity of mind and being lost in unsettled thinking. And there are two really simple examples I want to share with you and just explain the difference really. And this isn't so that you say that one is right and one is wrong. I'm encouraging you to be curious about where you are and to notice where you are at any one time. So two little different stories. Yesterday a friend of mine phoned me up and she was really lost in unclear thinking and she was trying to work out and tell me about her plans and things that she wanted to do and did I think it was right and it felt as though it was an onslaught of unfiltered unsettled thinking and thoughts. I was left feeling like oh that feels as though she's really unsettled at the moment and I did my best to listen because I know when I listen that's a really good way to help someone settle. But she was really really unsettled and something that should have been quite an easy plan to make felt like it was really jumbled in her head and she was jumping all over the place as she was trying to explain what she wanted to do. And that's what happens when we're lost in unsettled thinking. When we're in unsettled thinking we tend to find that things which are on paper might look simple feel very complicated. That's not because they're intrinsically complicated that's because our thinking has made them complicated. So a really good sign to know if you are in unsettled thinking is to notice your feelings. Are you feeling unsettled? It's to notice whether things feel complicated or overwhelming. Those are really good signs that you are in unsettled thinking and there's nothing wrong with it it's just worth knowing because when you know you're in unsettled thinking at least this is what I do when I know I'm in unsettled thinking. I tend not to pay much attention to it. I tend not to get involved in conversations. I tend not to try and work things out. When I'm in unsettled thinking I just give it a bit of space. I can let it pass on through and I wait for clarity to come again. And then the difference is this there was another friend of mine he's about to move house and it's a substantial move and something that is going to be a big move for the family. The friend as he's reflecting on this move is noticing that he's not in unsettled thinking. He feels really quite calm. He's feeling a real sense of clarity in what he sees he needs to do and as he's talking about this he feels a sense of surprise because he's very used to planning things and working things out and trying to troubleshoot before something happens. And yet with this house move he's noticing that he's in a real sense of clarity that he realizes that of course he needs to plan but he's not going to over plan. He's not going to plan unnecessarily. He's going to wait and see as things unfold and then make plans as things unfold. In other words he's being led as I would say he's being led by wisdom. And it's really helpful when you notice that you're in a place of clarity in that settled space. For me I call it being guided by my inner compass. I'm in that real settled space. I don't over complicate things. I'm able to deal with what turns up. So today is just noticing the difference in your world. Do you notice the difference when you're in unsettled thinking and when you're in a place of clarity? There's nothing wrong with being in unsettled thinking. In fact it's just useful to notice. And when you realize a difference between a clear head or clarity and unsettled thinking then what tends to happen is when you're in unsettled thinking you notice it more quickly and you bring yourself back to a place of clarity or you allow your unsettled thinking to settle. That's what it's all about. Noticing. Let me know how you're getting on in noticing the difference between unsettled and settled thinking and don't forget to join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.

Reviews

I so enjoy your talks in nature Liz! How refreshing to realize that clarity can arise from muddled thoughts by acknowledging them and then stepping aside. The wisdom is there but sometimes the doubt over-shadows it.

Thank you for bringing some peace and clarity into my mornings. 😊🙏💙

Thanks for the reminder that muddled thinking is not wrong, and that I can just notice it.🙏🏻

The two stories about unsettled thinking are good examples of how different people approach this.

In the spirit of your rainy morning I think of the Tao. Where it suggests if you keep stirring the muddy waters in search of an answer it will always be murky and not provide an outcome. Alternatively sit quietly and breathe and let the waters clear to bring clarity to your situation.

As always thank you Liz. ✌️❤️😎