We hope this free meditation will help you to ground and centre yourself and face the world feeling calm and resilient.

Introducing the Fine Leaf Bush Pea

The flower essence and flower essence mist that we recommend during times of stress and shock is called Shock Absorber . It's made from a native Australian flower called the Fine Leaf Bush Pea, pictured below, which has vibrant yellow petals with a splash of red at their base, surrounding a fuzzy beige and green centre.

This is the most grounding, centring and calming flower remedy that we’ve ever experienced, so the ritual of working with it is ideal for times when your intention is to come to terms with whatever has happened in your world, restore your equilibrium and rebuild your resilience.

FREE Shock Absorber meditation

In this FREE 18-minute guided meditation, you’ll get a taste of the energy of the Fine Leaf Bush Pea and a sense of how it feels to connect with and work with the Shock Absorber energy.

This calming and grounding meditation is ideal to use to support you as you recover from or process any experience that has been disturbing or unsettling (regardless of whether it occurred recently or in the distant past).

It can also be used to support you as you hold space for and send healing energy to someone else who’s had that type of experience.

Below is your FREE Shock Absorber meditation

Click ▶️ below to listen now, or use the green button to download it to your device.

⬇️ Download the Shock Absorber meditation (MP3)

This recording is a gift to you from the Fine Leaf Bush Pea, and we feel honoured that we were asked to pass it on.

Please feel free to use it as frequently as you like, and to share it with anyone who may benefit.

Click here to learn more about Shock Absorber Flower Essence and Flower Essence Mist and how they can help you.

Please note that this meditation is not intended to replace professional care, which is often needed following traumatic experiences. Always seek the advice of your healthcare professional in such situations.

Shock and trauma are well known for the physical and emotional stress responses that they trigger, but can also have a major impact on your energetic or spiritual self – especially if you’re a highly sensitive or empathic person. Read on to learn how to move past it.

What are the energetic effects of shock?

We use the term ‘shock’ to describe a situation in which something unexpectedly takes us off guard, leading to feelings of instability.

Sometimes that feeling is momentary – for example you might be briefly startled and shocked if the power goes off in your house, but recover moments later as you realise that the most likely explanation is a blackout or a blown fuse.

More significant shocks that have the potential to cause serious upheaval to your life (like the loss of a loved one, or being fired from your job unexpectedly) can affect you more deeply and may take far longer to recover from.

Often, those major life events can also force you to re-evaluate your sense of how the world or the universe works, and what that means for you personally.

From an energetic perspective, these kinds of shocks can have a wide range of effects, which can sometimes persist for a long time, especially if you find yourself unable to process and integrate the shifts that have occurred. (This might occur if you’re busy supporting others through the trauma and can’t take time out for yourself, for instance, or if the events that have happened feel so unfair or random that you can’t find a way to make sense of them).

Loss of grounding due to shock

Perhaps the most common response to shock from an energetic perspective the experience of being ungrounded or un-centred – as though you’re disconnected from the earth, your body, or yourself.

Often, a clue that this is what’s going on will be that you’ll find yourself using phrases to describe your situation that evoke imagery of disconnection, brokenness, or being on the outside looking in, such as:

• My whole world has been blown apart / fallen to pieces / shattered
• It’s surreal – I feel like I’m watching someone else’s life
• I’m not really in my body

It’s not possible to function effectively when you’re in these states, so if this is where you find yourself, your first priority is to re-ground and re-centre yourself so that you’re able to start re-building your foundations and find a new form of stability.

Getting grounded - an exercise to help re-centre your energy after a shock

Shock often brings with it the sense that parts of your consciousness have moved away from you in an upwards and outwards direction, so your goal is to summon your energy back inwards and downwards so that you can re-ground and centre yourself.

A good practice in this situation is to go somewhere that you won’t be disturbed, and then sit or stand with your bare feet firmly on the ground.

Next, move your consciousness downwards, to the parts of your feet that are anchored to the earth, and focus your attention on how that feels, while also paying attention to centring your breathing.

After a little while, you might get a sense that the energy of the earth rises to meet you in the same way that you’re directing your consciousness downwards in to the ground – and that the earth’s energy is helping to anchor in place. ( Tip: If you’re having difficulty visualising that, you might find it helpful to imagine the earth energy as a column of red and gold light that extends deep below the surface of the earth).

Allow that energy to move up through the soles of your feet, then all the way through your legs, until it reaches the energy centre at the base of your spine (the base chakra).

From here, experience the energy spinning around you like a funnel that expands outwards, getting wider and wider as it travels upwards (even beyond the top of your head) so that you get the sense of being centred in a vortex of energy that calls back any aspects of yourself that have drifted away due to the shock, and helps you to reconnect with them and pull them back into place.

Continue to sit in your earth energy vortex for as long as feels comfortable for you. Then, when you’re ready, bring your attention back to your awareness of your feet on the ground again, and to the physical senses in your body.

You might like to end your practice by giving thanks to the earth for her support.

Other practices that support grounding and that may be beneficial for you during this time include gardening (getting your hands into the earth), exercising (especially outdoors), and having a massage or energy healing session.

Shock Absorber™ helps you pull yourself back together

Tribe of the Tree’s  Shock Absorber™ flower essence and flower essence mist may also help you re-centre yourself after a shock – regardless of whether it’s been a recent occurrence or is something you’ve been carrying for a long time.

This flower essence and mist are strongly grounding, and can really help you to pull yourself back together when you're feeling scatty or as though you’ve fallen to pieces. They're made from a native Aussie shrub called the Fine-Leaf Bush Pea, which has the most calming, centred energy of any plant we've worked with. If that's the kind of energy that would comfort and support you right now, give it a go!

One thing people confide in us over and over again is the feeling of being unable to cope with the behaviour and energy of other people. Whether it’s healers who are carrying the energy and wounds of their clients, or parents who are affected by the words and actions of their kids, it seems that many people are struggling to separate themselves from those around them.

Detachment can be particularly difficult for parents – not just those whose young kids are very dependent on them, but also for the parents of older kids whose behaviour or attitudes aren’t in line with what their mum or dad would like.

Several of the parents we’ve spoken to recently have had the sense that they need to detach, but are conflicted by the fear that doing so would equate to abandoning their child. Instead they hold on to their relationship with them even more tightly, knowing all the while that it is depleting their energy and wellbeing and isn’t having the desired effect of inspiring their child to change their attitude in any case.

In reality though, attachment and over-investment make the links between parent and child contorted, and entangles the loving energy that you want to share with your kids with issues of approval and judgement.

If you find yourself saying things like ‘ I’d be happy if s/he would just…’ or, ‘If only s/he wasn’t so…’ then it might be wise to take a step back and ask whether you’ve given someone else the power of being responsible for your wellbeing.

When you’re solid in yourself, with strong boundaries, and deep-seated confidence and self-approval, the behaviour of others doesn’t have the same impact on you.

Similarly, healers who have strong boundaries are less susceptible to taking on their clients’ energy or to being drained by the important and valuable work they do.

When we’re chatting to people affected by these or similar situations, we always recommend Up, Up & Away flower essence and mist, which remind you of the importance of loving and approving of yourself unconditionally.

Far from being a selfish act, prioritising self love and self care is a gift not just to yourself but to everyone around you: it empowers you to love wholeheartedly, without expectations and agendas getting in the way, while also helping you feel comfortable with setting boundaries that are healthy for you.

As the story that accompanies this flower essence says, instead of getting battered and bruised by the energy and attitudes of others, it’s as though you simply pulled a balloon out of your pocket and let it lift you  Up, Up & Away™, out of harm’s way!

Up, Up & Away™ is available now as a single  flower essence or flower essence mist. The two products can also be found together in our Up, Up & Away™ Kit. 

You'll also find our  Up, Up & Away™ flower essence drops in the Quietly Confident™ Kit along with Express Yourself™ and Guiding Light™. 

Baggage Buster™ helps you let go of your old stuff

If you feel that you're carrying around the energetic residue of old events, experiences and emotions, consider  Baggage Buster™ Flower Essence and Flower Essence Mist.

Baggage Buster is also a good choice for times when patterns from the past are recurring and you’re keen to understand their lessons so you can move on, and for helping you to regain clarity and perspective without your viewpoint being distorted by your past experiences.

Here's a quick video introducing you to the beautiful Darwinia bush, an Australian native plant that’s the secret ingredient in Baggage Buster™ Flower Essence and Flower Essence Mist. (Apologies for the poor sound quality due to pesky helicoptors flying overhead!)

Peek-A-Boo™ helps you know when it's time to stop hiding

Sometimes past pain or sadness might lead you to retreat from the world and hide yourself away for a while. That's a natural and appropriate healing response when things have been tough, but at some point the time will come when it's appropriate for you to open up and connect with the world around you again.

Peek-A- Boo™ is on a mission to help those who've been hiding away know when it's time to emerge and reconnect with life's natural rhythms, relationships and joy.

In addition to being available as a single flower essence, Peek-A- Boo™ is found in our  In with the New™ Kit, along with Baggage Buster™ and Go with the Flow™.

Go with the Flow™ helps you face the future

Sometimes we cling to the past even though it's no longer serving us, simply because we’re nervous or uncertain about what the future will bring. If that's where you find yourself, Go with the Flow™ is a great flower essence to add to your daily rituals. It's on a mission to encourage you to face the future feeling optimistic and open-minded, with a spirit of adventure and curiosity.

Shock Absorber™ helps you rebuild your foundations

If an experience that knocked you off your axis in the past continues to affect you down the track, the ritual of taking  Shock Absorber™ may help to ground and centre you as you rebuild your foundations and pull yourself back together.

Moment in Time™ helps you embrace the here and now

Sometimes we keep one foot in the past because we feel guilty, resentful or disappointed about something that happened, or because we’re overwhelmed with nostalgia and a sense that life will never regain its past sweetness.

In those circumstances, consider taking  Moment in Time™, a flower essence that’s on a mission to bring you back to the here and now and encourage you to embrace the present.

When should you seek professional support?

Please consult your healthcare professional if you’re been through significant trauma or if past experiences are affecting your wellbeing, mindset or moods. Your wellbeing now and in the future deserves the greatest of care, and there are many wise and caring practitioners who are trained to help you process what you’ve been through and learn the skills that will help you cope.

If you’d like any help choosing the best flower essences to support you as you move forward  please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The heavy psychological weight of undealt with stuff

We’ve all got pockets of undealt with stuff in our homes somewhere. It might be a junk box in the garage, the bottom drawer in the kitchen or the storage containers tucked out of sight under your bed or at the top of your wardrobe.

Every single thing in those piles of stuff represents a time in the past when you put something aside to deal with ‘later’.

While no individual item in your clutter collection is likely to be a major drama on its own, as the pile builds up the task of handling it becomes more and more overwhelming.

It often seems to me that my clutter collections and the individual items in them have an energetic weight to them. It’s as though a heaviness hovers over my subconscious creating a slight-but-persistent feeling of pressure regarding how I’m going to find the time to sort out the mess and figure out what to do with it.

Even in those times where I’ve allowed things to build up to the point where I work around them and don’t pay conscious attention to their presence, there’s a nagging awareness that life in my home or office just isn’t flowing as it should because of undealt with stuff.

Clutter can be digital, emotional and energetic too

While it’s easy to understand the impact of undealt with stuff when it relates to physical items, clutter and its energy-draining effects can take other forms too.

For me, there’s also an energetic charge attached to an inbox that’s overflowing with emails, a list of phone calls I haven’t had time to make, or a pile of bills that I need to make time to pay. They’re all just more examples of things that I ‘should’ have gotten around to in the past, but instead put aside to tackle another day.

Most significantly, I think it’s also human nature to push aside emotional issues that we’re not quite ready to deal with, burying or suppressing them until a magical time in the future when we hope we’re going to feel more equipped to deal with whatever we unearth when we bravely dive in.

The common thread with all of these behaviour patterns is that the longer and more often we procrastinate about addressing the stuff we don’t feel ready to cope with right now, the more pervasive its negative effects on us become.

In my experience, over time those energetic effects can act like a barrier or filter, leaving us feeling jaded, distorting our view of the world, or preventing us from seeing things clearly or connecting with others openly.

Here are some of our favourite flower essences to work with when you’ve set the intention of dealing with both types of clutter and unwanted stuff – physical and energetic.

Baggage Buster™ invites you to let go of your unwanted stuff

Baggage Buster™ is the flower remedy we recommend for times when you’re feeling energetically stale or surrounded by clutter and chaos and have the intention of creating a refreshed outlook and clarity. I like to think of it as my energetic detox essence.

Whenever I set the intention of working with it to help me let go of stuff I no longer need, I’m surprised at how readily old, undealt with and often long forgotten issues surface to my attention, without any conscious striving on my part.

One of the things I like best about the ritual of working with this flower remedy is that it helps me to let go of any energetic charge or defensiveness regarding whatever it is I’ve been pushing aside. Instead, it invites me into a matter of fact and efficient mindset that helps me recognise what needs to be done and get on with sorting it out.

In addition to taking Baggage Buster as a flower essence, I also incorporate Baggage Buster Mist into my daily rituals. I love its refreshing scent of spearmint, may change, juniper and lemon myrtle essential oils, but most importantly, I find that using it in my home and workspace helps to clarify my thinking and support my intention of creating a renewed sense of divine order and more helpful energetic patterns.

Find Baggage Buster and Baggage Buster Mist together in our Baggage Buster Kit , or team Baggage Buster flower essence with Go with the Flow and Peek-A-Boo (discussed below) in our In with the New Flower Essence Kit .

Stop holding on and Go with the Flow™

I think one of the reasons physical and energetic clutter is so draining is that it interferes with our sense of flow, making it difficult for us to focus on the things we want to concentrate on.

We also disrupt our ability to flow when we fall into habits like holding on tight to things because they ‘might be useful one day’ (even though in all likelihood they probably won’t be), or not addressing things because we’re not sure we’re ready to cope with the changes that they’ll bring.

The alternative is to develop an awareness of when things have had their time and allow them to evolve, transform or move on as appropriate.

If these are issues that resonate with you regarding the physical or energetic clutter in your life, consider the ritual of working with Go with the Flow™ flower essence , with the intention of getting comfortable with change.

Go with the Flow is available as an individual flower essence, or in our In with the New Flower Essence Kit with Baggage Buster and Peek-A-Boo.

Get ready to face the future with Peek-A-Boo™

I’ve noticed that when I go through periods of removing layers of undealt with stuff, I often emerge with a sense that it’s time for me to engage with life in a different way. One that’s more openhearted and in sync with the universe around me.

If you’re experiencing something similar, the energy of our flower essence Peek-A-Boo™ may resonate with you. Consider incorporating this flower remedy into your daily rituals at times when you feel you’ve been closed down, withdrawn or detached from the world, and are getting ready to emerge and open up again as you move forward.

Peek-A-Boo is available as an individual flower essence, or in our In with the New Flower Essence Kit with Baggage Buster and Go with the Flow.

Here are just a few suggestions to inspire you:

• Defensiveness regarding past failures, let-downs or shame (you know, those hot button issues that deep down you realise are affecting you, but that you desperately hope nobody else has noticed!)
• Falling into familiar patterns of behaviour in your work, relationships, health or business and expecting different outcomes (even though those same actions have a track record of leading you down paths that haven’t been beneficial in the past)
• Feeling that even though you’ve finished processing an issue mentally or emotionally, its energetic fingerprints are still with you, impacting your behaviour or outlook
• Confusion or lack of clarity – as if you can’t develop a fresh perspective or find a new way to tackle a problem because your vision is so clouded by what’s happened before
• Stuff that’s been cluttering up your home or workspace, creating a lack of flow or making you feel that life lacks divine order
• Feeling trapped in commitments that no longer enliven you, but that you feel you can’t escape from
• Strategies that helped keep you safe when you were younger, but that are no longer needed now that your circumstances have changed

Do any of those sound familiar?

They're things we all deal with from time to time, and when they're throwing their energetic weight around, it can be tricky to find the mental and emotional space to welcome in the shifts you crave and the new growth and expansiveness that will move you forward. 

Baggage Buster helps you let go of your unwanted stuff

If it’s time for you to let go of whatever’s holding you back, consider working with our Baggage Buster flower essence.

Made from the delightful Darwinia flower, Baggage Buster’s purpose is to help you gently and easily let go of anything that’s no longer serving you. This flower may only be tiny, but she's a powerhouse when it comes to energy clearing!

Think of Darwinia's vibe like that of the particular friend you invite over to your house to help you clear up before a party: she's calm, organised, efficient, and on a mission to get things done, without any fuss. 

PS: Baggage Buster is available as a flower essence mist too. It has a fresh, cleansing scent that smells amaaaazing (think spearmint, lemon myrtle and may chang – yum!), and is perfect for clearing the energy in your home or work place and leaving behind a feeling of freshness and a new start. It's available as an individual flower essence spray, or along with Baggage Buster drops in our Baggage Buster Kit.

Head-based thinking and logic

When it comes to changing habits, it’s common to find yourself approaching your goal from a mental angle. For example, you might find yourself saying “ I should lose weight…”, or “I have to stop eating chocolate…”

If these are the predominant thoughts running through your mind when you consider the new behaviour you’re looking to implement, your motivation is coming from your mental, rational or logical self.

Desires for change that arise out of this aspect of your being often carry with them a sense of reluctance, or may be associated with feelings of defensiveness, guilt, shame or being under pressure. For example, you may feel defensive admitting that a change is needed because you feel guilty about not addressing the issue sooner, or you may feel pressured into making a change by your partner, boss or health practitioner, but not actually want to make it at all.

Changes that you’re motivated to make under these circumstances are often driven by a fear that you’ll lose something if you don’t follow through, so you may also find yourself saying, “ I have to do this, that or the other thing because otherwise I might lose my partner / job / health ”.

You may also get the sense that you’ll need to exert a huge amount of willpower in order to implement the change, and as a result, will often doubt whether you’ll be able to achieve your goal.

In a nutshell, changes that are driven purely by head-based, logical decision making are often emotionally charged with fear, doubt, resentment and shame.

If this is where you find yourself, it’s important to acknowledge what’s really going on for you, rather than trying to push through it.

It may also be useful to give yourself permission not to change right now, but instead to put your energy into preparing to change – as long as you’re actively doing so, and not using that tactic to mask further procrastination.

TIP: Try out the following statements, and see which one makes you feel lighter, more confident and more optimistic:

• “I should [insert your goal here&91;… “
• “I’m getting ready to [insert your goal here&91;”

With this simple shift in your self-talk, you’re acknowledging that the change you’re looking to implement is in the future and that where you find yourself is exactly where you’re meant to be right now.

Furthermore, you’re thinking and speaking about that future in a way that infers that it will absolutely and definitely eventuate because its something that you’re actively working towards, rather than feeling guilty about not doing.

Heart-based emotions and feelings

In contrast, heart-based or emotional drivers of change ignore the logical and rational, and instead focus on your feelings.

In many cases, this means that you’ll find yourself actively working towards a positive outcome rather than using change to help move you away from a negative one.

It’s the difference between saying, “ I should exercise more often… ” and “I’d like to exercise more often ”.

Where the former leaves you feeling shut down, defensive and a bit helpless, the second, emotionally based statement creates a sense of ownership and possibility.

In my experience, changes that are based on emotional drivers are more readily implemented and more easily sustained, because in almost every aspect of human behaviour (from shopping for clothes to our choice of job), we make choices with our emotions first, and then use logic to justify them later.

That’s also one of the reasons that images that help strengthen your clarity about where you’re going and what it will mean for you can be so very helpful, so consider visualising your desired outcome during meditation or including affirmations in your daily rituals. 

TIP: To enhance your chances of succeeding at your desired change, consciously dial up the depth and intensity of the emotions and feelings you’re expecting to result from its successful implementation, making sure to focus on your end goal (rather than the steps you’ll be taking along the way).

Energetic alignment

Ultimately, if you’re looking to create a permanent change in your life, you’ll know you’ve succeeded when your sense of who you are encompasses that change as a done deal.

In terms of self-talk, you’ll know that you’ve reached this stage of the process when you find yourself saying not “ I should exercise more often ”, or “I’d like to do more exercise ”, but “I’m a person who always exercises every day, rain or shine ”.

These “ I am” statements are solid and incontrovertible, but more importantly, they signify that the change that’s occurred has become entwined with your identity, and is therefore inherently sustainable.

With rare exception, transitioning to this point usually takes time. Despite how many times you’ve heard people say that it takes 21 days to implement a new habit, the reality is that it’s more likely to take at least a couple of months – and sometimes even longer.

Along the way, both your thinking and your emotions will progressively adapt and adjust, with your self-concept or self-identity evolving in tandem with them.

The process rarely occurs in a straight line, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself sidetracked or even back-tracking along the way – and don’t be hard on yourself for it either… it’s a natural part of the process, so there’s no need for guilt or self-recrimination.

Instead, give yourself permission to stretch, expand and try your new thoughts, emotions and behaviours on for size.

Flower essences for helping you implement change

If you’re ready (or getting ready) to start creating some changes, here are a few of our favourite flower essences to support your efforts from an energetic perspective:

If you’re stuck in the mental stage of the process, and are feeling resentful or resistant about having to change at all, try Go with the Flow™, which encourages you to trust in the energetic currents at play in your life and be open to change.

To help you develop a stronger connection to the emotional drivers underlying your desire for change and help build your readiness to implement it, consider Manifestation Mojo™.

If you’re ready to make changes, but doubt your capacity to follow through with them, try Dragon Slayer™ , which is on a mission to help you tap into your inner resources and find the strength and momentum to push forward, even when the going gets tough.

And, if you’re ready to let go of old, unwanted energetic patterns and cycles, consider working with Baggage Buster™ , Baggage Buster™ Mist , or a combination of both .

At times like those, it’s natural for us to withdraw into our shells like a hermit crab, creating an emotionally safe space to retreat into.

Have you been hiding yourself away?

The thing is though, if we want our lives to be characterised by rich relationships and experiences, at some point, it’s best to come back out of our shells and re-engage with the world around us.

If that period of re-emergence is where you’re at right now - or where you’d like to be in coming weeks or months,  Peek-A-Boo is the flower essence for you. We make it from the stunning Pig Face flower pictured above. This native Aussie plant is on a mission to remind us all that it’s safe - and even delightful - to open our hearts and allow ourselves to shine.

On a personal note, although we try not to play favourites around here, in all honesty, I love the way taking  Peek-A-Boo makes me feel. It always brings with it a sense of open-heartedness, optimism and the gentle encouragement that it will soon be time to let go things that may have felt like essential emotional armour in the past.

Flower Essence Mist of the week!

Have you tried our Peek-A-Boo Flower Essence Mist yet? Combining Peek-A-Boo with lovingly chosen heart-opening essential oils, it’s become a firm favourite with many of our Tribe members. (Personally, I love that it blends the woody masculine scent of frankincense with the rosy floral aroma of palmarosa… together they make a very romantic combo!)

Sometimes circumstances can leave you feeling as though you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and that you’ve got so much you have do that there’s no time, space or emotional energy left to do what you WANT to do.

Feeling a bit blah?

I’m not talking about anxiety or depression here. Both of those are serious problems that are best addressed with the help of your healthcare professional. You can also contact  beyondblue for online support, or phone lifeline 24-hours a day 1300 22 4636.

Why do things feel ‘heavy’?

In these circumstances, sometimes what you’re lacking is the sense of freedom and spontaneity that comes from having some spaciousness in your life.

Have you noticed that on the weekend, on holidays, or when you’re out in nature, life feels more open? When your mind is free to wander and your body has permission to unwind and let go, you can gradually start to feel that the realm of possibilities available to you is vast.

Our wise friends the trees have taught us that this spaciousness unfolds because those times of rest are a stark contrast to our normal focus on the duties and responsibilities we tend to accumulate in our adult lives, and that feelings of  'heaviness' or being 'clogged up' energetically are sometimes the result of charged emotions like resentment, guilt or overwhelm regarding all the things we have to do, manage or look after - even if we're not always conscious of their impact.

In my experience, this is especially the case when the nature of the responsibility means dropping the ball has significant consequences, or if you’re carrying the weight of something you rarely get a break from. (Parenting is a good example in both instances!)

Since life is at its best when it includes a constant movement of energy (or Qi, or good vibes or whatever you like to call it) between yourself and the world around you, this heaviness can eventually lead to feelings of stagnation or stuckness.

Space creates lightness – and lightness creates space too

When we step back from the mental clutter of our busy-ness or put a boundary in place that allows us to detach from all that for a while, one of the outcomes is that we become more in tune with the energetics and life force that are all around us, all the time.

Then, since the universe is fundamentally a fabulous place to be, that spaciousness can infuse you and your energy with a delightful sense of freedom, optimism and good cheer.

The trees have taught us that the reverse is true too… If you consciously take the time to tune in to all that is right in the world – to look for the silver lining in all circumstances, to tap into the vibrant life force that supports us all in every moment, and to embody a light-hearted outlook wherever possible - you might just find that it helps generate the sense of spaciousness and you’re yearning for.

This insight about the to-and-fro, push-and-pull possibilities you can use to lighten your energy or raise your vibration has been fundamentally life-changing for us here at Tribe HQ.

The realisation that we don’t have to wait for the holidays before giving ourselves permission to tap into that sense of expansion and possibility has been instrumental in helping us to shift from a way of life that was once entirely reactive to our circumstances, and into one in which we feel much more at peace on a day-to-day basis and much more balanced in the way we walk through life.

As an unexpected but delightful side effect, we’ve also found that our increased consciousness to our own energetic vibration and resonance with the world around us has simultaneously elevated our sense of connection to nature in all her beautiful forms.

Lighten Up, Buttercup flower essence and mist

All these learnings have been the result of working with the energy of the Conesticks bush, secret ingredient in our Lighten Up, Buttercup Flower Essence and Flower Essence Mist.

This gorgeous Australian native, exclusive to Tribe of the Tree, and harvested from the wild in the lush Southern Highlands of NSW, is on a mission to remind us all that life is not meant to be taken too seriously.

If you’re keen to add some lightness to your life too, consider incorporating the ritual of working with  Lighten Up, Buttercup into your daily routine.

Here are three of the most common energetic patterns we come across in our work that may signal you've fallen into a pattern of self-pity, and our top tips for helping yourself to snap out of it. We hope you find them helpful!

1. You keep fantasising about being rescued

Maybe you daydream about winning the lottery, being swept off your feet by a knight in shining armour or your boss being sacked and finally being out of your hair.

No matter what form your fantasy takes, when you find yourself falling into these types of patterns, stop and tune in for a moment.

Is the real issue that you’re not feeling strong enough to do what needs to be done to change your circumstances?

Giving yourself a stern talking to might be tempting, but we recommend a kind, compassionate approach instead.

Start by reassuring yourself about how very strong you are (the many times you’ve endured hardship and overcome obstacles in the past provides ample evidence of that).

Next ask yourself to dig deep and find the energy and commitment to keep going. For some inspiration to help you channel your inner warrior, check out Amy Cuddy’s TedX talk on how changing your posture can help boost your confidence, and for flower essence support, try Dragon Slayer™, which is available as either a single flower essence or as part of our Dream Activator™ Gift Pack.

2. You think the solution is for other people to change

Ever catch yourself thinking, “I’d be okay if only he / she / they would stop doing this, that or the other thing?”

Handing responsibility for your wellbeing to someone else in that way isn’t helpful, because it leaves you feeling disempowered. Furthermore, when we fall into this pattern (and let’s face it, almost all of us do from time to time), we also become inclined to nag and criticise, which in turn has a nasty habit of breeding resentment in both the giver and the receiver.

The healthier approach is to detach from the actions of others (or their inaction, in some cases), and bring your energy and attention back to yourself. What steps could you take in order to feel better about your situation?

Sometimes it’s as simple as deciding to step back and let go of your ideas about how others ‘ should’ behave or feel. Another tried and trusted option is to practice visualising yourself surrounded by a column of white light that cleanses your energetic field and signals your intention to remain immune to any negativity around you.

Our flower essence Up, Up & Away™ may also help. It’s on a mission to remind us all to love and look after ourselves, and can be particularly enlightening to work with when you’ve gotten into the habit of allowing other people’s actions to dictate your sense of happiness or wellbeing. Up, Up & Away™ is available as a single flower essence, and is also available in our Quietly Confident™ Gift Pack.

3. You keep getting up on the wrong side of the bed

Have you gotten into the habit of allowing little things to make you feel irritable or indignant? That’s easily done if you’re focusing on things that feel overwhelming or heavy – like all those things you ‘ should’ be getting done but either can’t manage or aren’t inspired by.

When you fall into this pattern, it’s also easy to forget that in the vast majority of circumstances, it’s possible to go through life choosing to be cheerful, and to look for a silver lining wherever possible.

Here at Tribe HQ, one of the teachings from the trees that really resonates with us when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves comes from the Conesticks plant, secret ingredient in Lighten Up, Buttercup™. It goes like this, and we often meditate on it when we're finding it difficult to remember to choose the path of ease and grace:

Nowhere is it written that you came into this life for the express purpose of worrying or being serious. You have a bountiful planet, a joyful collection of souls around you, and a divine purpose while on this earth: have fun, learn some stuff and share your love and light.

Lighten Up, Buttercup™ reminds you not to take life too seriously. It’s great to work with when you’ve become grumpy or pessimistic, and can help to boost the spirits of adults and kids alike. It’s available as a single flower essence or in our Life of the Party™ Gift Pack and Lighten Up, Buttercup™ Kit, which also contains an uplifting flower essence mist with a fresh and cheery lemon-y scent.

Bonus tip:

If you are feeling sorry for yourself, please don't beat yourself up. It really doesn't help, and nor does denying, masking or suppressing feelings that are real for you. If you're going through something that's difficult to deal with or has persisted for a while, it may be that the kindest and most loving thing you can do for yourself is to seek professional support. A trusted health practitioner is a great place to start - even if they can't help you themselves they may well be able to recommend someone who can.