It may also be because we have suffered a loss emotionally, which sometimes makes us feel we are drowning, as our sadness washes over us, and we fear it may sweep us away.

The following podcast doesn't replace professional advice. It offers a simple exercise that takes only a few minutes to help ground us now and reduce feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes those few minutes can make all the difference.

Use this technique anytime you feel overwhelmed or under stress and need a moment to pause. It can also be a helpful exercise before a meeting starts or a class, to help bring your focus to the moment and let whatever else is happening to be put to one side, to pick up again later, if needs be.

It can seem for many of us it's no longer we don't have enough hours in the day or even days in the week. It's weeks in the year! On top of all, we were dealing with before, the changes to our way of life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic can sometimes leave us feeling exhausted.

Finding a way to hit the pause button, even for a few moments, matters for our wellbeing.

We all only have so much energy, and we need to think about how we use that to best effect and how we can top our energy back up again.

An exercise like the one in the podcast can help us be aware of the fantastic world around us and tap into the energy that it offers. 

Like a butterfly spreading its wings to soak up the energy of the sun, we too can take a pause and soak up the energy of the world around us, tuning into nature and our natural rhythm.

We all need times to be and not be doing. 

We hope you find this wee podcast offers you that 5 minutes in the day, which you can call your own.

Practice it often, perhaps so that it becomes routine. We do not always need to be running to a beat that leaves us feeling exhausted. We can also, at times, pause, even for a few moments, and be and find the rhythm which works for us.