10. Rain to water our garden

If you are lucky, you have a garden, or even a small pot-plant somewhere in your home. Our garden/plant grows and flourishes when we take care and tend to it, it will quickly go to ruin though if we don't mow the lawn and pull up the weeds or top up the compost.

We can use the garden as a metaphor for ourselves, what are you doing to flourish right now? What activities of self-care, maintenance and investment are you making in you?

It's natural in the face of what we are seeing and dealing with right now to feel defensive and resistant, or to tell ourselves we don't have time / too busy / too stressed. I'm going to bring my little sis in here and share her message to a few friends and I who have recently learned about Mindfulness. My little sis (okay she's not little she's 41!) but she went underground these past two weeks, hasn't been in touch, returned calls, she's been overwhelmed with worry and closed herself off in order to regain a sense of control. Then we got this:

Ladies, I know I've been quiet on all the group chat, to be honest I've been really struggling with all of this. But in the last 3-4 days I've been doing more and more mindfulness and it's helped massively. Mostly breathing and listening, but this morning I did the mindfulness of movement and it's been just wonderful. Feel ready to start the day and feeling a little more positive with the world we now live in.

Please remember to be kind to yourselves and do these things, they really do make a difference!

Just wanted to check in and say hi! Lots of love and thinking of you all! This is the time it's really beginning to help! 😘

Sharing this is not about bigging up Mindfulness; it really isn't for everyone, but it is to highlight how important it is to find what works for you – and to make time to do just that.

There is a practice with the acronym RAIN that supports people during any challenging experienced, we need to:

· Recognize what is happening.

· Allow the experience to be there, just as it is.

· Investigate with interest and care.

· Nurture with self-compassion.

The attached meditation can be used when we sense overwhelm, to tend to ourselves. There are other practical ways we can take care and nourish ourselves too - use this weekend to really water and tend to you!

What routines can you embed in your new weekend that gives it some structure - especially if you've found that all your usual activities have gone by the wayside?

• Can you have a virtual drink with friends over a Zoom invite?

• Facetime your loved ones, have a cuppa and a cake?

• Learn something new - a language, write that novel, do a handstand, finish a rubix-cube, make a pavlova! Get creative! Go wild, nobody can see you 'eh! Just keep it clean good people.

Look after yourselves this weekend, take time to rest, regroup, allow things to settle and be as they are.

Peace, out.