When Teresa Dobson received her cancer diagnosis, she took a step back to find out the best way to deal with it. She explains, “Mindfulness to me is about addressing the thoughts we think, and being consciously aware of those thoughts, because when we have thoughts, they project into reality, just like anything we do in life, going to a movie, buying a car – everything begins with a thought. So mindfulness is becoming aware of what I’m thinking.
“So, when I got my cancer diagnosis, which was a shock, because I’m usually a healthy person, I realised I had to take a step back. I felt Like I could go in two directions. I could take this experience and use it to enhance my life or I can just feel like I’m a victim. It would take me down a healing path that would involve lots of symptoms, lots of high-level care and a lot of depressed thinking, or dark moments. It’s not that you don’t have those dark moments whether we’re diagnosed with something or not, but the idea is to get ahead of that with your thought process again. So, to me it’s the mind matters, the mind makes matter.
“And, everybody has something, this is something that you realise in the world everybody has something to deal with, whether it’s the children, whether it’s a personal health, whether it’s a mental problem, whether it’s your parents – whatever it is, we are all dealing with stuff. So, it’s about which stuff shows up and how to interpret it within your life and use it to empower you, or use it to become a victim. Those are really the two choices. So, I’ve chosen empowerment”.
Mindfulness and self-care can be really helpful in helping people cope with the stress that a cancer diagnosis can bring. It helps people to respond, rather than react to distress, communicate better and get the support they need. Mindfulness and self-care are just a couple of the strategies that you might want to put in your toolbox for coping with cancer.
So, anyone can go and see a psychologist at the cancer society. This service is free and is available to anyone over 18, who has been diagnosed with cancer, or their friends and family, so for more information on chemotherapy NZ and medical oncology please go to http://www.canopycancercare.co.nz.
As another level of support, there are a number of really great apps and websites focussed on mental wellbeing. If you are living alone, working from home alongside your family or on the front line, the effects of COVID-19 continue to be exhausting, daunting and can even be a little terrifying.
Last year we pulled together a list of our staff and patients favourite mindfulness and meditation apps, blogs and websites for dealing with the stress and isolation of COVID-19.
The following is a list of the most popular. The apps are all free so take a moment and have a look.
https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
https://blog.calm.com/take-a-deep-breath
https://www.justathought.co.nz/
https://giphy.com/embed/1xVc4s9oZrDhO9BOYt
And for the kids:
