H ow to adjust to life after cancer

How to adjust to life after cancer

Dealing with your fears after treatment is over can be particularly hard. You’re no longer in the embrace of your hospital or treatment centre. They’ve waved you off into the sunset with promises of appointment letters in the future. Your little boat is released from the mother ship and you sail away on your own. And boy, it can be a scary time.

Stop listening to yourself, start talking to yourself Your greatest fear at the moment is of your cancer returning. You think about it every day. You try not to, but it seems your brain likes to repeat it. Stop listening. Start to tell yourself that no, it’s not coming back. Not now, not ever. Put on a motivational video on YouTube, have a little dance, go for a walk, breathe in deeply. Talk to the fear and firmly tell it to go away.

Continue your own treatment plan You may no longer be receiving medical treatment. And strangely, it might be scary not to have tablets to take, or appointments to attend. Continue your own treatment plan by creating your own treatment plan. Visit a health coach and ask their advice on what vitamins and supplements you could use to best support your body after the formal treatment you received. Support your immune system by beginning to take a probiotic. Make it your priority to get at least thirty minutes of activity every day. Research any other changes you’d like to make. Write it all down, stick it on the fridge and follow. This gives you control.

Avoid that which does not serve you I struggle to read heartbreaking illness stories in the news. I see them and my breath catches in my throat. I move past quickly, pretend I haven’t seen it, or sometimes I have a look and my heart falls into the pit of my stomach. These stories don’t help, so I delete the sources that send them to me. Is there something in your life that is not serving you? If it’s not helping, don’t give it air time.

Do the things that lift your spirits Things that do help are having a good laugh. Michael McIntyre does it for me – he really makes me giggle. Or visiting a good friend who makes things seem so much more possible than before they arrived. Calling my mom. Going for a little shopping trip. Sometimes it’s just a cup of coffee at my local Starbucks with my little boy for company. It’s these small acts of self-care that help me along.

Do something that gives you purpose Writing and creating for Happy Magazine is my purpose. Thinking of the next online post, writing it, answering emails, seeking opportunities – it fills my mind with positive purpose, it fills my quieter moments with something meaningful. Is there something you have always wanted to do? Now is the time to explore that.

Tackle your problem times Late at night has never been a good time for me. I’m tired and the fears start to creep back in again. I have a bedtime routine which helps. I leave my mobile phone downstairs. I fill a hot water bottle and make a cup of herbal tea. I head upstairs, turn on my salt lamp and brush my teeth. I settle into bed, propped up with pillows, and read until my eyes start to close.

Use visualisation to support you When I lie down to sleep, I visualise. I think about my body filling with stripes of white healing light. Starting at the very top of my head and spreading down, behind my eyes, behind my nose, behind my mouth, filling my head. Moving down into my neck, my chest, my tummy, right down to my toes. Until all of me is filled with this blinding, healing light and I am glowing from the inside. I don’t always make it all the way to my toes before sleep takes over. I find this a great way to fall asleep.