Essential Self-Care Tips for Those With Cancer
If you live with cancer, you know the daily uncertainty, anxiety, and fear that come with it. Practicing self-care is critical for your battle, whether you’ve been in treatment or were just diagnosed.
By taking charge of the parts of your health and well-being you can control, you can put yourself in a stronger position to face the things you can’t control. Today, Grassroots Healing shares a few essential self-care disciplines to help you maintain a quality of life and fight harder than ever.
Surround Yourself With Good People
Cancer is not something you want to try to manage yourself if you can help it. Having a strong support system that helps you maintain your wellness and provides empathy, normalcy, and companionship is crucial. Hopefully, you have close friends and family members in your daily life – those who know you best and genuinely want to help with your needs.
One day you may need a sympathetic listening ear while you need help buying groceries, cooking nutritious meals, or going to doctors’ appointments the next day. If you want to explore a more formal setting, research local or online cancer support groups. You might be surprised how much it helps to speak with other cancer patients dealing with similar struggles.
Prioritize Your Nutrition
Keeping your weight up is one of the primary goals during cancer treatment. It’s crucial to eat well before, during, and after treatment. Speak with your physician to identify the best diet for your specific needs. Generally, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins comprise a healthy diet. And, of course, you want to drink as much water as possible.
Think of simple substitutions you can make to boost your wellness. For example, maybe you could exchange your soda at lunch for a smoothie. Or perhaps you could keep a bag of nuts handy so you don’t go for the bag of chips. Eating well will boost your energy and make you less hungry.
Maintaining a good diet can go a long way in improving your mental and physical health. But it can also help you improve your strength and energy before and during treatment while reducing the harmful side effects of your treatment.
Keep Exercising
Exercising can help cancer patients improve their quality of life and overall wellness. Before engaging in strenuous activity, however, you should talk to your physician to determine the appropriate intensity level of your exercise.
Staying fit will help you battle fatigue, depression, and insomnia. Ideally, you’ll find an activity you enjoy so that you can stick to it without getting burned out. Anything that keeps your blood flowing and makes you break a sweat can be beneficial, especially aerobic movements like neighborhood walks or swimming.
Follow Your Dreams
The world doesn’t stop for cancer and neither should you. What are your dreams? If you’ve ever thought about going back to school, for instance, now could be the time! Especially if you’ve thought about putting yourself back on the job market or even starting your own business, a certification in information technology could be a big help. And thanks to the flexibility of online learning, you can work at your own pace, wherever you are, to make sure you aren’t overdoing things.
Manage Your Stress
Finally, be proactive in finding practical stress-reducing activities to incorporate into your daily routine. Many cancer patients benefit from practicing mindfulness, yoga, and meditation. You might also enjoy writing in a journal to vent your thoughts and emotions and gain a new life perspective.
If you don’t currently have a hobby that takes your mind off of your daily obligations, consider your interests and research ideas to explore. You could rekindle a hobby from childhood or try something entirely new.
Conclusion
Cancer makes life hard regardless of your lifestyle and habits. Don’t make things more complicated by neglecting your overall well-being. Remember to establish a good support system and look for nutritious alternatives to unhealthy foods and beverages. Also, prioritize fitness and incorporate relaxing activities into your daily routine. You might be surprised how much more energy and strength you feel for fighting another day.
Grassroots Healing is a minority, women-owned company founded by Maryland natives who wanted to bring a holistic approach to health and wellness in the Prince George’s County region. We’d love to hear from you!
Written By: Scott Sanders