How often is your body in one place and your mind somewhere else entirely? Replaying yesterday, rehearsing tomorrow, wondering whether you'll sleep tonight.

The Buddha summed up his teaching in a short verse, shared in Thich Nhat Hanh's Path of Compassion: "Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future." A few lines later comes a simple instruction: "We must be diligent today."

Diligent, not perfect

It's easy to hear "diligent" and think of striving. In self-compassion practice, it means something gentler: noticing, kindly, that we've wandered off, and coming home, again and again. Our minds will wander, because that's what minds do. The practice is in the returning, and in how kindly we return.

Watch out for the scolding

The moment we notice we've drifted, the inner critic often arrives: "Concentrate! You can't even do this properly." That habit of self-scolding pulls us away from the present just as much as any worry. So we meet it gently too, and ask, "What's the kindest thing I can say to myself right now?"

Why practise?

Coming back to direct experience, to what we can actually see, hear, smell, taste and touch, gives us a break from the story in our heads. With regular practice, many people find they get less swept away by worry, feel steadier when life gets busy, and enjoy ordinary moments more fully. Research on mindfulness and self-compassion, including Dr Kristin Neff's work, links these skills with less anxiety and greater resilience.

A simple practice

Choose one everyday activity, such as your morning cup of tea, and let it become your practice. Feel it with all your senses. When your mind wanders, smile, say "Ah, wandering," and come back.

Watch the meditation (Kathryn introduces the topic first. To go straight to the meditation, skip to 6:58.)