Self-care for breast cancer is great to do if you already have breast cancer, are in remission, are cured, or want to be proactive in not getting it. There are so many steps you can take to take better care of yourself and, especially, take time for yourself. As women, we really don’t take the time for ourselves. We take the time for everyone else, but oftentimes, takes time away from us. Well, it’s time we stop that! It’s time to take action and focus on YOU! Think of how often we stop what we are doing because someone needs us, or we forgive them for something they did because we feel bad….How often do we do this for ourselves? Not often! We are usually so much harder on ourselves, especially with forgiving ourselves, than we ever are with our family and friends.
I want you to think about what self-care means to you. It could mean pampering yourself and getting your nails or hair done, maybe a massage, going out with the girls, reading a book, taking a bubble bath, or shopping. And, that is correct. However, self-care comprises so much more. Self-care means stopping and giving yourself even 5 minutes of quiet to just “Be.” It means taking time to breathe, smell the roses, spend time out in nature, being mindful, participating in meditation, yoga, exercise, doing deep breathing exercises, Tai Chi, QiGong, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique/Tapping), along with many other things you could think of.
Once you think about what self-care is to you, now think about how often you do self-care…are you consistent with it or is it something you do once a year, a month…? When you are dealing with breast cancer or any type of condition or illness, you need to start taking care of yourself. Take time to breathe, meditate, exercise, eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids, keep up with your appointments, etc.
The first thing I want you to do is to go somewhere quiet where you won’t be bothered for about 15 minutes. Close your eyes, sit in a comfy chair with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Take 10 deep belly breaths (diaphragmatic breaths), all the way down from your pelvis, breathing in through your nose, then out through your mouth, even giving a sighing sound, letting the energy move.
Now, sit in the quiet and continue slow, deep belly breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, and start at the top of your head and go through your body and just feel what you feel. Is your head pounding, are your jaws clenched and tight or sore, separate your lips a little and relax your jaw. Keep going down… is there any tension in your neck or shoulders? If so, take another deep breath and when you exhale, sigh louder and relax your neck and let your shoulders drop, then feel that release. How does your chest feel, your arms, your back, your abdomen, pelvis, your hips, your buttocks, your upper legs, knees, lower legs to your ankles, your feet? Go through your whole body and just feel. As you hit upon some sensation of tension, heaviness, pain whatever you may be feeling, just stop there for a little while and breathe. What emotion seems to be tied to this feeling? If there was a color or size, what would it be? Is it smooth, round, bumpy? Try to give it as much identification as you can. Then, tell yourself, “It’s okay, it’s okay to be having these feelings.” Let your little self (the inner child) know that you are there, and everything will be ok, and it is ok to feel what you are feeling.” This is important because many times we toss emotions aside like they aren’t important, but they are. If we don’t acknowledge them and let them go, they stay inside and cause problems, like illness, self-sabotage, fear, anger, etc. So, let yourself know that it is ok too. Have the feelings you are having. Then, just continue to breathe into the area you are having these feelings. Imagine that area is doing the breathing and focusing on it. As you start becoming more aware and focusing on this area, the pain, tension, and heaviness will go away. Sometimes, it is pretty quick, and other times it may take longer and you may have to go back to it several times. So, that it a BIG self-care gift to give yourself.
I had you think about self-care activities that maybe you do. If you don’t do self-care, what would you like to do? I gave you some examples. For (breast) cancer, or chronic illness, you want something you would really enjoy, maybe something relaxing and calming, or maybe you are looking for something a little energetic.
The most important ones for illness to me have been the deep breathing, which I try to do for about 20 minutes once a day, but do it often for about 5-10 breaths throughout the day. Then, I do meditation, which has been found to be great for cancer and other illnesses because you relax your body, giving it time to heal. Another big thing I do is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, or “Tapping”), which has been amazing for me. I do it at least twice a day, in the morning when I get up and at night before bed. You tap on meridian points, and by doing this, it relaxes your nervous system. Sooooo wonderful! It’s like getting acupuncture without the needles!! Oh, and every night when I go to bed, I do my nightly tapping then I put on some healing meditation music and just relax to that. It helps you to go to sleep faster. I am also now dabbling in energy healing, and as I get better, I will do some of that.
Those are my daily favorites, but there are many others that I do. I love to crochet because it relaxes me. Plus, there have been A LOT of babies lately, and the blankets are great gifts! We also bike, hike, kayak, and take long, fast-paced walks, which is so invigorating. You don’t have to walk fast, I just like to get the extra health benefits out of that. Reading is very relaxing. I always have about 2-4 books being read at the same time.
With my breast cancer, I have been staying away from sugars, white flour, and dairy, but I do “cheat” once in a while, just to live a little. So, a couple of nights a week, I allow myself a glass of red wine, which is wonderful, when you don’t have it often. You really appreciate a nice glass of wine once in a while. I’ve also enjoyed doing research on what foods are good for me to eat and which are horrible for me. Also, how to live a “cleaner” life, staying away from chemicals in my hair and on my skin, cleaning products, etc. I am really learning a lot, but it’s been fun, too.
One thing that is very important to remember, don’t get stuck in a rut. If you are too fatigued to meet up with friends, have one or two come over. Who cares what you look like!! The more you push yourself to do things, the better you will feel. You need to keep up with friends and family, be social! It is very important. Your friends and family may be your support system, and you want to keep them close. Go to a friend’s and watch a funny movie or talk about old times when you did some crazy things you really don’t want others to know about!! HA!
Take up playing the piano or keyboard, or guitar. That is frustrating at first, but then relaxing. Write down everything you always wanted to do. Even if you can’t do it now, I’m sure there may be a way that you can modify it so that you still can do it, but on a different level. At times, you just have to push yourself.
Don’t let yourself get into a depressed rut, either. You want to keep yourself positive. A positive mindset is very important to recovery. Try to find a positive in your illness. I know that sounds crazy, but, if anything, maybe it is teaching you that there may be things you need to release and let go of. Maybe, some of you will not find any positives, and I’m sorry. I understand how illness feels. There are so many things that happen to us in our lifetimes that may have hurt us and we didn’t even realize that it stayed with us and caused so many problems. But, it happens. I’m not saying that caused your cancer, but I am a true believer that it is to teach us something and to allow us to let go of things that no longer serve us. Again, this may not be the case for everyone. But, dig deep and see if there is something. If anything, sit and do the breathing, relaxing your shoulders, your forehead, and just feel and BE. Don’t judge anything. Just let it come up and acknowledge it, letting it just be there for a while, letting yourself know…it’s OKAY TO FEEL WHAT YOU ARE FEELING!
If you are interested in learning more and/or want to work with me 1:1 visit my website at:
www.wellfitways.com.