Stress and Cancer: 5 Ways to Manage
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Stress and Cancer
Cancer is stressful.
Going through cancer can bring on emotions such as fear, overwhelm, and loneliness. Our body can feel these emotions physically as stress.
Not dealing with the stress can lead to impaired digestion, mineral deficiencies, sleep issues, dehydration, inability to focus, and even blood sugar issues.
You have stress…You can do something about it!
Here are 5 steps to manage stress through Cancer Treatment
Get Enough Sleep
The body performs a number of repairing processes that affect nearly every part of the body. Avoiding caffeine and turning off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed can set the stage for a good slumber. Instead of falling asleep to the TV, try a meditation app before bed, or a good book. Using a diffuser with Lavender essential oil supports sleep and provides additional aromatherapy benefits.
Pro tip: Shut the bedroom door for 20 minutes with the diffuser on before bed so you walk into a soothing calm environment.
Help Your Body Replenish Magnesium
When we are in a state of stress the body loses vital minerals. Magnesium is a necessary mineral for the body to deal with stress and on the other hand stress burns some of the body’s magnesium supply. It’s a vicious cycle!
Pampering yourself with an Epson Salt bath is an natural way to replenish magnesium. Add 2 cups of Epson Salt (no fragrance) and 1 cup baking soda to a warm bath, soak for at least 20 minutes. An added benefit to the soak is helping relieve muscle pain and tension felt from stress. Some research shows that topical use is one of the best ways to replenish magnesium in the body so hop in, relax, and let the body replenish and de-stress. Topical magnesium cream application is another option if using a quality product.
Pro tip: Add 4-6 drops of your favorite essential oil or Rosemary and Juniper Berry to an epsom salt bath for relaxation and added detox support.
Cancer Diet: Eat Whole Foods, Avoid Sugar
It’s common to choose quick, easy foods when dealing with stress. Most of these are processed foods which may exacerbate physical symptoms of stress. Focus on an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of fewer processed foods and more whole food choices. Eliminating sugar and increasing healthy fats provides nutrients and fuel for the body during cancer treatment. Stress induced eating is a common experience for many people, oftentimes the foods chosen are high sugar, processed foods that create more inflammation and stress to the body.
Snacks are an important part of a cancer journey when away from home at appointments or during treatment. Bringing your own food on the road is a great way to know what you are consuming. Here are some of my favorite snack options to pack along the journey; fresh berries, hard boiled eggs, tuna packets, grass fed meat sticks, green apple slices and nut butter. You can get real creative here!
Pro tip: When friends reach out to offer support, offer them a shopping list of whole food groceries that don’t include processed foods.
Get Organized & Focused
The inability to focus and concentrate is a real thing during stressful situations. The mind can be overloaded with information, worry, fear, concern and can no longer process information in an organized way. When levels of cortisol are raised, as they tend to be in a stressed state, the result may leave one with feelings of irritability, fatigue, and lack of focus. When emotions are high and mental fatigue takes over there is risk of missing important information and possibly medical appointments.
There are some simple ways to help stay more focused. When overwhelmed with many tasks, make a list and complete only one task at a time. Multitasking may make us feel more productive however it can be a recipe for disaster leaving you with lower focus, poor concentration, and getting less done than desired leaving you feeling more frustrated.
Pro tip: Taking a short break to move your body, walk outside to get fresh air, etc. throughout the day can help clear the mind.
Avoid additional stress
Identify areas of distraction that may be causing more stress. Developing clear priorities will help establish what you are willing to spend time and energy on. Establish boundaries to help reduce additional stress. Loved ones want to support you, but it’s up to you to let the support system know exactly what you need from them (mentally, emotionally, physically). Boundaries can be rewarding…not a punishment.
Remove distractions from your phone turning off notifications from email, apps, text messages, etc. This small step toward reducing distractions can help focus and allow you to be more productive. Leaving your phone in a different room helps the urge to repeatedly check for messages, etc.
Pro tip: Shut your phone and electronic devices off for blocks of time throughout the day creates much needed quiet time.
The source of the stress doesn’t have to go away for you to feel better.
The stress of the unknown going through a cancer journey is overwhelming. Even though the stress was there during my journey caring for my husband, I could feel an incredible difference in my body and mind using the simple steps above. My personal favorite was starting the day by putting a few drops of my favorite essential oils in the diffuser and taking advantage of the aromatherapy! Check out my Natural Remedies to use During Cancer Treatment blog for more information.