Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott.
It's a really super spring day today,
Blue skies,
The birds are singing,
Everything is looking vibrant and about to burst into life and today as I'm out and about I'm bracing myself because I'm about to go into the city centre and you know there's one thing I know that when I go into the city centre I find it a little bit discombobulating.
I'm a country girl at heart,
I love the countryside,
I love walking in nature,
I love the peace and the quiet of a countryside rural life but there are times I do need to go into the city and when I go into the city I have to adjust to the pace,
To the rushing,
To the noise,
To the discombobulating amount of choice,
To the shops,
To all the things that are demanding my attention and as I sit here in the Sun bracing myself for my visit into the city centre one thing I know is that it's okay,
It's okay to go into the city centre and to know that it can feel a bit unsettling and it's like that with so many things in life.
There are things which are a catalyst for me to settle more deeply and to find that place of clarity and sense of groundedness within and for me going out in nature is something that is a catalyst for that.
Walking is a catalyst,
That gentle walking,
Deep breathing,
Allowing my mind to settle and there are other situations that are a catalyst for unsettling me and for me it's city life,
I'm not used to it,
I find it a bit overwhelming and as the saying goes forewarned is forearmed.
I know that going into the city means that I'll feel a little bit like a rabbit in a headlights and that's okay.
As I sit here I also know that I can walk through the city and keep bringing my attention back to that space of clarity within me,
Keep noticing when I feel unsettled,
When I feel a bit wobbly and as I feel those feelings I can bring my attention back inside and feel that sense of groundedness and just keep taking one step at a time.
It's so helpful to realize that we can always bring our attention back to that awareness,
To that state of presence within us.
It's really helpful for me to realize that and it's really helpful to realize that there are situations that I do habitually find myself getting agitated about.
One of them is walking into the city center.
Another situation for me is when I get a bit muddled with new technology or I'm trying to get something on my computer to work and it doesn't or I'm trying to grapple with changing the ink on the print machine and I can't or my phone doesn't do something that I know it should be able to do.
So I know that when I'm in those situations,
When I'm in situations that often act as a catalyst that have me move into an unsettled space,
An insecure space,
I know that that's when I get unsettled and I see the world is unsettled and insecure and I start questioning myself and whether I'm any good at anything and berating myself and feeling agitated with other people.
It's so helpful,
Just notice yourself.
What are the situations for you when you find yourself getting a little bit overwhelmed or agitated?
What are they for you?
They'll be different than my situations and as you notice them just be kind to yourself.
Realize that they are great opportunities to practice bringing your attention back to that space of awareness.
Keep looking within.
There is only one place to look and when you experience and when I experience that space of settled love,
That space of rock solidness within me,
That's the space for me to walk through the world and I'm human and I get into situations where I lose track of that space and my thinking clouds over that sense of who I truly am.
But I always know that the answer does not lie in trying to change anything.
The answer lies in firstly bringing my awareness back to that settled space and then from that space seeing what action needs to be taken.
It doesn't mean that I don't need to do anything,
It just means that I make better choices,
Better decisions when I'm in a space of clarity.
So I'm going to use this opportunity as I walk into town today to keep bringing my attention back to that space of clarity and to find a sense of groundedness even though I'm in a situation that can be a catalyst for me to feel unsettled and I hope you maybe can find an opportunity like that in your life too.
