The first time for me, naivety, ignorance and an innate belief that health would prevail meant that the waiting for test results was a non-issue. A malignant verdict though, with the concomitant surgery, chemo, radio, recuperation and healing, now means that no matter whether it’s 1 year post disease or 13, the waiting is transformed into a battle between fear and confidence, hope and uncertainty.
Whilst you may know the tell-tale signs to watch out for and the precautionary measures required on a daily basis to safeguard against reignition of any wayward growth, life likes to tease you into ignoring your best advice. After all, you can’t live on edge, tiptoeing around every obstacle so that it doesn’t touch you. Your focus needs to be squarely on the cultivation of an inner peace, a healthy resilience and a sound self-awareness. Learn to react softly to life’s challenges, shifting attention to the breath and the only definitive control you have – your response to the present moment. Nothing else matters – not the past which can’t be changed, not the future which is yet to pass and may or may not transpire as envisaged. Only the present cradles our reality and forces us to confront our reactions.
My 93 yr old Mum is a perfect example of someone who has an amazing ability to shake off the people, circumstance and trauma that inevitably present themselves in life. By no way is she devoid of emotion. Instead, she is nurtured by faith in divine guidance and protection and sustained by a pragmatism that allows her to dismiss the foibles of others as simply unsavoury manifestations of human nature. React, talk it out, then let it go. That’s her mantra and coping strategy, the tempering of response with the knowledge that you can only address what is within your control and thus must reject and put to one side things over which you inevitably have no sway.
Sounds easy but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that the switch is automatic. It requires effort, persistence and awareness. A perpetual cultivation of what is in our best interests for a healthy, dis-ease-free life.
If you think that meditation isnt for you and that breathing is natural so why would it need to be controlled, it may be prudent to look at neuroscience for the last say. Inner resilience best shows itself when life is akimbo, shifting us off our axis. It’s important to remember then that the mind is malleable and can be tricked into believing and manifesting what you want it to believe. Tell yourself over and over again the state of being that you want for yourself. Make it your daily mantra as you wake and before you sleep. You are and can be what you believe yourself to be, so live your resilience and be your peace, one breath and one thought at a time. Just put your mind and heart front and centre.
