Two years ago, out of the blue, my sister was diagnosed with cancer. Pancreatic cancer, stage 4. No treatment. Terminal cancer. Six months to live.

For a time, she didn’t know which was up. Then, she made a choice – to enjoy each day doing what she loved. For her, that was being with family and friends. An empowering choice. She chose how she wanted to be – present, to live and love in the moment. What a girl – an inspiration!

What if you were to make that choice today… every day? To live in simplicity, taking each day as it comes, enjoy the beauty of life, and let go of any worries? What difference might that make to your life?

When the rug is taken out from under our feet and we don’t know how the future will look, it’s all too easy to panic, to worry especially if we have a need to control. The thing is… so often when we worry it’s about things we can’t control, or, we worry about things that never happen. Such a waste of energy!

One of the keys to finding resilience is to be aware of our mind – how we talk to our self, how we judge, how much energy swirls around in our head – and learn to quieten it so we can be present to our heart, our soul, our inner voice.

And, one of the best ways to be present is to simply to be aware, to observe any rambling, and allow it to be. Like clouds, thoughts eventually dissolve. To help them on their way, focus on your breath – taking slow, deep, steady, quiet breaths. Square breathing – inhaling, holding, exhaling, holding, each to the count of four – goes even further, because, in the counting, our mind can’t worry at the same time!

And, if that doesn’t work, get out into nature where the only thing to do is experience the beauty of creation. Breathe it in and it will bring you back to your centre.