Cancer And Self-Care - Yes, It Can Be Done

Cancer And Self-Care - Yes, It Can Be Done 

Cancer Patients Should Not Put Aside Their Self-Care Practices

Cancer is one of the most critical health problems worldwide today. Studies by different researchers have shown that disease can reduce people's ability to self-care.

The self-care concept has considerably evolved among patients with chronic diseases, particularly cancer, over the past 35 years, and nurses have managed to enhance their knowledge about self-care remarkably for the clients so that the nurses in healthcare teams have become highly efficient and able to assume the responsibility for self-care teams.

When you’re facing a cancer diagnosis, the treatment plan becomes front and center: is it chemo, radiation, or both? What medications will you need? What side effects will result from the treatments? You’re swarmed with questions from all sides — doctors, family, friends, and anyone else with whom you share your diagnosis.

Intersection Of Nutrition and Self-Care 

Throughout her career as a surgical oncologist, Dr. Shymali Singhal, founder of H&B, has had the opportunity to see many women fight hard not to lose themselves to the various pieces of their lives; work, family, friends, social, volunteerism, church, etc.

Although self-care may not seem to fit into a nutrition session, we at H&B believe it’s often one of the first things to come up.

This can manifest itself in: 

• on and off dieting

• self-sabotage through food and exercise abuse

• resistance to building or maintaining the foundation of a healthy diet

• emotional eating

• avoiding physical activity

What Actually Is Self-Care?

In short, self-care is all the different practices that ground, elevate or center you. That’s how you know you’re doing something supportive for yourself.

Below we list a few ideas; add your own to create a unique self-care routine.

• Journaling

• Mindfulness

• Aromatherapy

• Massage

• Dancing

• Meditation

• Moving your body

• Unplugging from tech

• Reading inspirational books

• Listening to music

• Sleeping (but not too long!)

Quality of life is an important index for evaluating the outcomes of treatment and the long-term survival of patients with cancer. In light of the limitations of current medical science, the goal of cancer treatment is controlling symptoms and delaying disease progression rather than curing the disease. Therefore, quality of life is a crucial determinant of symptom relief and of the rehabilitation needs of patients with cancer.

How Self-Care Relates To Quality Of Life 

Quality of life assessments are increasingly used in the care of patients with cancer. Furthermore, quality of life is a particularly important outcome indicator for patients with advanced breast cancer who receive chemotherapy, as this treatment strategy causes side effects such as gastrointestinal problems and neurological disorders that not only impact significantly upon the quality of life but also predict premature discontinuation of treatment.

Promoting and maintaining the self-care behavior that is necessary to manage the side effects of chemotherapy and to improve quality of life are important for patients with cancer. However, given the challenging nature of performing self-care activities while dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy, it is critical to understand the factors and mechanisms that help predict the self-care behavior and quality of life of patients.

Stress Management For Cancer Patients

Coping with cancer can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. When it comes to health and wellness for cancer patients, acknowledging your stresses and knowing where and how to get help for them is very important.

Here are some helpful tips for successful stress management:

• Listen to cancer survivors’ experiences to learn the most common feelings

• Recognize when you need to seek help in coping with your emotions

• Know where and how to get that help

When dealing with stress, it’s important to have an “active coping” mindset, rather than avoiding the problem. You can acknowledge the things that are causing stress by making a list. This makes them something tangible to overcome, rather than just a feeling. Also, seek out advice and information. Knowing more about the root of the stress can make it feel less intimidating.

Once you’ve done your research, make a plan to deal with the problem. It helps to involve others from your support system and be open about your feelings. Your friends and family will be more than willing to help if you just ask.

There are many things you can do to reduce stress, but they all focus on a common theme: self-care. Take time for yourself to do something you love. Just relax with a good book or go get a message (if you feel you can do so safely during the coronavirus pandemic. Exercise and meditation are also useful tools for managing stress. There are even exercise classes and guided meditations dedicated to wellness for cancer patients.

Finally, get H&Bs’ Wellness Box, with seven of our most sought out products, all in one convenient box!