Self Care and Survivorship
Today we are going to talk about self-care for survivors through honoring commitments to ourselves and making time for personal growth
Self-care is the act of nourishing our mind, body, or soul. After cancer, self-care is essential. Your body has endured surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy on top of internal stress created by the disease itself.
Honor your commitments to yourself.
The most important person we will ever commit to is ourselves. This means if you have a goal, that each day you are making small steps towards it. For instance, maybe you decided that you wanted to write a book, go on a cruise, or run a 5K. How are you making steps towards that goal? If you are finding that you are having a hard time making progress towards your goal, it might be you need to schedule time for it ahead of time.
Some tricks that work for me:
Vision Boarding
I have had a vision board of some shape/style since 2008. I have used everything for poster boards with cutouts from magazines to a vintage push pin board. Currently, I use two whiteboards, one for yearly goals and the other for weekly goals. I see them every day in my office and it appeases my love for checking things off.
Scheduling
Chalene Johnson once said you need to schedule time for yourself before someone else does. I wholeheartedly agree with this. It is ESSENTIAL to schedule time that is non-negotiable for you. I know, we all have family, work, kids, pets, etc. but when you schedule time for yourself, schedule it in a way that will set you up for success.
Make time for personal growth.
If you ask any of our elders, they will tell you if you want to stay young, never stop learning. I know a lot of cancer survivors report having mental fog due to "chemo brain". However, I challenge you to not let this stop you from trying to pick up a new skill or practice. It can be literally anything from learning to knit to learning a new language.
Learning new skills is something our brains thrive in. When you learn new skills, your brain builds new synapses, strengthens neural pathways, and can support brain plasticity. You might find you are able to attain new information by using another learning approach such as instead of reading a book, listening to it via audio. Don't be afraid to be creating.
How do you honor commitments to yourself or make time for personal growth after you complete cancer treatment?
Self-care is the act of nourishing our mind, body, or soul. After cancer, self-care is essential. Your body has endured surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy on top of internal stress created by the disease itself.
Honor your commitments to yourself.
The most important person we will ever commit to is ourselves. This means if you have a goal, that each day you are making small steps towards it. For instance, maybe you decided that you wanted to write a book, go on a cruise, or run a 5K. How are you making steps towards that goal? If you are finding that you are having a hard time making progress towards your goal, it might be you need to schedule time for it ahead of time.
Some tricks that work for me:
Vision Boarding
I have had a vision board of some shape/style since 2008. I have used everything for poster boards with cutouts from magazines to a vintage push pin board. Currently, I use two whiteboards, one for yearly goals and the other for weekly goals. I see them every day in my office and it appeases my love for checking things off.
Scheduling
Chalene Johnson once said you need to schedule time for yourself before someone else does. I wholeheartedly agree with this. It is ESSENTIAL to schedule time that is non-negotiable for you. I know, we all have family, work, kids, pets, etc. but when you schedule time for yourself, schedule it in a way that will set you up for success.
Make time for personal growth.
If you ask any of our elders, they will tell you if you want to stay young, never stop learning. I know a lot of cancer survivors report having mental fog due to "chemo brain". However, I challenge you to not let this stop you from trying to pick up a new skill or practice. It can be literally anything from learning to knit to learning a new language.
Learning new skills is something our brains thrive in. When you learn new skills, your brain builds new synapses, strengthens neural pathways, and can support brain plasticity. You might find you are able to attain new information by using another learning approach such as instead of reading a book, listening to it via audio. Don't be afraid to be creating.
How do you honor commitments to yourself or make time for personal growth after you complete cancer treatment?
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