Self-Care and Breast Cancer

Did you know that practicing daily self-care could help to reduce your risk of recurrence?

What you probably already know is that during your breast cancer treatment, you had to rest, to help recoup and heal from your course of treatment...whether it was surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, medication and quite possible a combination of all of the above.

My personal journey included 5 surgeries within one year, Letrozole for 5 years and coming up later this month, my 6th surgery where I will be removing my implants from reconstruction and going flat, due to capsular contracture and some suspected Breast Implant Illness (BII) symptoms.

But, what happens when treatment is over and you feel like the world is just watching and waiting for you to jump right back into your pre-cancer life? 

They don't know that you're so exhausted, or emotional, scared about getting "it" again...or how alone you feel, even when you have the best support system in the world.

You know how challenging it was to try and achieve this balance even before you got diagnosed, but now...how on earth are you supposed to figure this out??

Before I share some simple tips for daily self-care, I want to share WHY it's so crucial, especially now when you're focusing on reducing your risk of recurrence...

I'm not going to get all woo woo on you...but I think you'll find this quite fascinating...

This is an excerpt from an article from Women's Health Expert, 

Christiane Northrup, M.D.

" Each chakra supplies life energy to its corresponding organs. The Fourth Chakra is all about nourishing and caring for ourselves and also others. When balanced, this energy keeps all of the organs of the Fourth Chakra healthy. This includes the heart, lungs, upper spine, shoulders, and of course, the breasts.

Breasts are the most fundamental form and representation of maternal love and nourishment.  But, the love that makes maternal nurturance so life-affirming must be replenished regularly—otherwise it leads to health problems in the organs of the Fourth Chakra, often the breasts.

When a woman puts her own personal and emotional needs on the back burner—or forgets entirely that she has them, which our culture has programmed us to do for millennia—the energy of her Fourth Chakra inevitably becomes diminished by resentment, anger, grief, longing, pining for contact, and pure fatigue. This is the energy pattern that invites breast, shoulder, heart, and lung problems. And diseases in those areas cause the majority of deaths and disabilities in women, including breast cancer and heart disease. But, male breast cancer is also on the rise." 

You can read the whole article HERE.

Just connecting the dots and understanding that when we put our own personal and emotional needs on the back burner, we are putting ourselves at higher risk of recurrence and therefore, I want you to understand that it is an act of self-love to practice regular self-care.

Well, lucky for you, I have become quite the pro at practicing daily self-care, even amidst the most challenging times. Because what most of us don't realize, is that self-care does not need to be difficult or time consuming or expensive. In fact, if you know me...I'm a fan of the complete opposite.

I like to focus on simple things that we can actually implement, no matter where we are. That don't cost an arm and a leg and many of which are totally free!!

So whether you are in my facebook group Healthy Living After Breast Cancer, or my Moving Forward Membership ...I believe wholeheartedly that change can be uncomplicated and I show you how.

Here are some examples of these simple self-care strategies: 

1. Self-Care starts in bed - when you wake up, take just a few minutes to do a little check-in with your body. How're you feeling? is there pain anywhere? Think about your intention (not to-do list) for the day. Now gently stretch and take a few deep breaths...now you're ready to start your day.

2. Fight the urge to grab your phone - I have to be honest, I'm guilty of this too! BUT, when I practice just taking some time for me first, before I pick up my phone and check emails, scroll through social media...I notice that my day seems calmer. You see spending that time on me first, allows me to not be so affected by the onslaught of everyone else's thoughts. Try it, and let me know if the same happens for you.

3. Enjoy fresh morning air - Obviously breathing is important, but the quality of air and how we breath makes a huge difference. I have to admit I've become quite addicted to doing this first thing in the morning lol. Simply poke your head out of a door or window and take a few conscious breaths...feel the air, be present, what do you hear and see...how does the air feel, is it different than what you're experiencing inside?

4. Skin Care = self-care - It takes just a few minutes in the morning to show your skin some love. Your treatment more than likely played havoc on your skin, I know that mine did...so simply reward it with some non-toxic moisturizing TLC. (My fave body lotion is the Beautycounter-Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa - affiliate link)

5. Keep it simple and be flexible - Don't forget to check in with yourself. If you try something new and you don't like it, then it's not the right fit for you at that moment in time. That's OK! It's not you, you didn't fail...but without trying new things how are you going to find out what works and what doesn't?

As you can see, I'm a woman of my word...simple, easy to execute and most of them are free!

But, you probably also know that knowing something and doing something are not the same thing.

So I wanted to create something to help you start doing...get unstuck, stop beating yourself up (yes, I know you do, because I used to too!).

Grab your FREE downloadable 30-Day Self-Care Calendar HERE.