Every month, I’ll be
highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from
different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into
understandable English and share them with you. Today: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150323075936.htm
As you can imagine – or know from personal experience – a diagnosis
of breast cancer and stress are practically twin diagnoses.
But how many women – or couples – get help in dealing with
the stress? While I can’t speak for everyone, I CAN say that no one mentioned “stress
reduction” when my wife got the news four years ago. No one said, “You should
take up meditation.” No one suggested going on retreat. No one gave my wife a
list of stress-reducing exercises. It wasn’t even a THOUGHT...
“Women with breast cancer who participated in the study
initially used stress management techniques to cope with the challenges of
primary treatment to lower distress. Because these stress management techniques
also give women tools to cope with fears of recurrence and disease progression,
the present results [fifteen YEARS later] indicate that these skills can be
used to reduce distress and depressed mood and optimize quality of life across
the survivorship period as women get on with their lives.”
While this article offers hope for those who get a breast
cancer diagnosis, I had to go elsewhere to get the “skinny”. Below you’ll find
suggestions and directions for some practical ways to reduce stress. I can’t
say as a doctor that starting a year or four years or even ten years later will
have the same effect on quality of life in people who have a breast cancer
diagnosis, BUT I think I can say with confidence that it won’t hurt anyone –
patient or partner.
Two-minute relaxation:
Switch your thoughts to yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths,
exhaling slowly. Mentally scan your body. Notice areas that feel tense or
cramped. Quickly loosen up these areas. Let go of as much tension as you can.
Rotate your head in a smooth, circular motion once or twice. (Stop any
movements that cause pain.) Roll your shoulders forward and backward several
times. Let all of your muscles completely relax. Recall a pleasant thought for
a few seconds. Take another deep breath and exhale slowly.
Mind relaxation.
Close your eyes. Breathe normally through your nose. As you exhale, silently
say to yourself the word "one," a short word such as
"peaceful" or a short phrase such as "I feel quiet."
Continue for 10 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently remind yourself to think
about your breathing and your chosen word or phrase. Let your breathing become
slow and steady.
Deep breathing
relaxation. Imagine a spot just below your navel. Breath into that spot and
fill your abdomen with air. Let the air fill you from the abdomen up, then let
it out, like deflating a balloon.
And in general:
Keep a positive attitude.
Accept that there are events you cannot control.
Be assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your
feelings, opinions or beliefs instead of becoming angry, combative or passive.
Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when
you are physically fit.
Eat well-balanced meals.
Rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from
stressful events.
Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.
While all of this sounds perfectly reasonable standing four
years after those first days of horror; and understanding that the LAST thing
you want to hear is “relax”; it might have been helpful if the doctor or
nursing staff had done this for us – BOTH of us.
There is nothing though, to stop us from starting this now!
