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Wellness tips for a healthy mind, heart and soul while you are coping with cancer
It’s no doubt that cancer needs more than just the right treatment to be obliterated to smithereens. It’s important that you focus on activities that are healthy for your heart, mind and soul – yeah, it’s all about that TLC (tender, loving, care). If it makes you feel good and keeps your head screwed on tight, you know you’ve got the right thing going on. #TeamGoingInHard
Think about it, you’ve got loads of time on your hands. Why not use it to your advantage? We’re talking spicing up your journey to full recovery and perhaps even self-discovery. Here’s our top wellness tips to cope with cancer. Check it!
1. Sleep mode ON
Even if sleep didn’t help with recovery, we’d still have trouble giving it up. It gives your mind and body time to repair, refresh and rejuvenate from the rigorous treatment that you’re undergoing. Heck, it’s even an effective stress-buster. That's not all. It improves your cognitive skills and keeps your blood pressure under control. You should know that in order to get a good dose of shut-eye, there are some things you should keep in mind. Be sure to avoid exercising or working out a couple of hours before your slumber time, avoid caffeine, and stay away from the TV or watching anything on the tab just before bedtime. Last but not the least, be sure to follow a regular routine and sleep in a quiet, dark room. If you feel drowsy throughout the day, it may be due to a sleeping disorder or side effect of your cancer treatment, which may need further diagnosis from your doctor.
2. Therapy calls
You might need a professional therapist to overcome some challenges that you may be facing as a side effect of your treatment. They would be more professionally qualified to understand your psyche, help you overcome your fears and focus on your overall mental and emotional wellness. The secret is to stay positive. Always. Remember, sooner or later, you’ll be kicking the ball out of the park and that’s where all the fun starts!
3. #PositiveVibesOnly
Make sure you’re always in an environment that makes you feel positive, whether you are at home or outside. This is also largely dependent on the company that you surround yourself with. All of these things come together to help boost your mental and emotional wellbeing, which are important aspects to physical and emotional recovery. Time to kiss the stress goodbye.
4. Be a busy bee
We've all heard the saying - "An idle mind is the devil's workshop". This holds true for everyone, especially those who are in rest while on their way to complete recovery from a health condition like cancer. Indulge yourself in activities that interest you, activities that you’ve always wanted to learn or have suddenly piqued your interest now. Teach yourself something new – painting, a dance form, baking or anything that holds your attention. The sole purpose here is to keep your mind busy at all times.
5. Keep fit like there’s no tomorrow
There’s no better way to stay physically fit than follow a regular fitness routine. That’s right. It boosts strength and endurance, reduces pain, ensures better blood circulation, improves sleep, controls your weight and makes you feel good about yourself. The American Cancer Society advises adult cancer survivors to exercise for a minimum of 150 minutes a week, which includes strength training for at least two days a week. If this is your routine, then there will be many more tomorrows to come.
6. Make balanced-eating your BFF
Follow up your fitness regimen with a balanced diet. Yeah, we bet you’ve heard that a million times. But it’s true. Include a healthy proportion of whole grains, proteins, fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. Remember, you can incorporate only proteins that have saturated fat like lean meat, egg, fish, legumes, seeds and nuts. Give saturated fats a miss and choose healthy fats that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids like walnut and fish. There are certain superfoods that comprise of cancer-fighting properties capable of killing cancer cells and prevent tumour from growing further.
Simply saying that coping with cancer is challenging is an understatement to the utmost understatement. If you do in fact keep a close track of the above checklist in a disciplined way, we might as well be congratulating you for your first positive step in fighting the good fight. Better get on it!
