Coping with cancer is a personal journey, and everyone deals with it in different ways. Mindfulness is one of the four pillars of cancer survivorship. When faced with the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, these pillars can help you feel more peaceful and in control.
Mindfulness comes from ancient Eastern traditions. It’s used to help people stay present and accept their experiences and themselves. “Mindfulness can be a powerful tool for improving your mental health and overall wellbeing,” says Dr. Paula Wolfteich, licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Carilion Center for Grief and Healing. Research suggests that practicing mindfulness can:
- Decrease stress, depression and anxiety
- Improve mood
- Increase spiritual well-being
- Reduce inflammation
- Lessen pain and fatigue
- Increase sleep quality
There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. You can also combine it with activities like art therapy to boost its benefits. Some of these methods include:
1. Engaging in grounding and sensory awareness. This involves paying attention to the present moment and all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
2. Practicing breathwork by paying close attention to your breath, often through breathing exercises.
3. Embracing single tasking by focusing your attention on one task or activity at a time, without distractions.
4. Practicing gentle yoga, moving through poses and stretches in a slow, mindful manner.
5. Doing body scans by focusing your attention on different parts of your body. This helps you become more aware of physical feelings, thoughts and emotions and soften, relax and let go of pain and tension.
6. Engaging in loving-kindness meditations by sending feelings of compassion, kindness and goodwill toward yourself and others.
8. Practicing tonglen, another compassion meditation practice. This involves taking in the suffering of others on the in-breath and sending out feelings of compassion and healing on the out-breath.
To get started, Dr. Wolfteich suggests checking out Mindful. There are also many apps available that can help guide you on your mindfulness journey.
At Carilion Clinic, we're not only focused on treating cancer; we're committed to supporting you in living your best life during and after treatment. Want to learn more about the pillars of cancer survivorship? Join us for our upcoming Cancer Connection quarterly events. All survivors and those receiving active treatment are welcome.
