At a guess, most of us (here in this email exchange) will have the good fortune of never living in a war-torn location. A good many of us may never experience a flood or fire (others already have, some more than once and some right now).

The relentless convergence of galloping national and global crises weighs heavily on us all. Underneath that, we all meet these crises, in person or news stories about them, from where we are.

Sometimes, you’re in a good place in your own life. You have capacity to get involved, money to spend, time to offer.

Other times, grief, relationship breakdown, physical or mental illness or accident makes facing the world’s agony in any deep way feel next to impossible.

• It’s that feeling of skating very close to the edge of what we can feasibly cope with

• It’s knowing we have too many tabs open in our lives and the whole thing could crash

• It’s fearing we’re just ‘one more thing’ away from a full emotional collapse

And it’s often compounded by guilt. When we’re nearing wits’ end, but shocking current events keep unfolding around us, we can question what right we have to our feelings.

Things are so much worse for other people, we think. How can I complain?

It’s okay to sit this one out.

Over the course of our lives, there will always be more than enough problems going around for us to involve ourselves in. We’ll have limitless opportunities to help, for our remaining years on this earth. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

It can help to think of this as a mutually-beneficial ecosystem in which we take turns giving and receiving. The load should never stay on the same shoulders all the way through. Those shoulders will eventually collapse.

That’s why the notion of 'paying it forward' can be so incredibly helpful to everyone involved. Our previous challenges have helped to hone the compassion that might be flowing from us now. Or perhaps right now we’re the ones in need of others’ compassion.

Ideally, each of us will be able to take a breath when we need to. Take a seat. Take a minute.

And when we’re replenished, we’ll stand up and offer that seat to someone more in need.

To everyone who is currently working hard to rescue people and homes and businesses here and overseas, you’re brilliant.

And to everyone sitting this one out, rest up. Those you’ve helped previously, and people you’ll help in the future will be grateful for the time you’re taking now to gather your strength.

Take care