Tag: cancer wellbeing
-
Writing as a tool for self-care

Presenting The Feeling of Cancer over the past few months to various groups, I always get asked if I have found writing the book therapeutic. The answer is a “yes”. In fact, it has been a very profoundly healing experience for me.
-
How talking therapy and support groups can help during a traumatic time

If counselling or therapy is not something you have had any experience of, you may wonder what it could offer you when you have cancer. Emotional relief and healing can come from sharing your deeper self with someone you can trust. Sometimes shutting down emotionally is important as a survival tool, but if you stay…
-
Mindfulness during cancer treatment and beyond

(Photo: Mindfulness doesn’t have to be sitting in a chair meditating. I walked slowly on the beach as much as I could during treatment as I found it relaxing and especially important to get out of house and just be with myself by the sea) Being mindful is another way of being more aware. It may…
-
Gratitude: developing an appreciation for the things you have got rather than what you’ve lost

(Photo: I was lucky enough to take a course of gratitude at Dove House Hospice and Wellness Centre, which I write about in The Feeling of Cancer in more detail. It was so wonderful to go back and have a book launch at Dove and express my gratitude for all the care and support they…
-
How do I practice self-compassion?

(Photo: Music has become integral to my self-care and going to WOMAD for the first time when I was in my first remission was incredibly live-affirming for me. Understanding what makes life living is a powerful way of being kind to yodel.) Hopefully other people will be kind to you when you have cancer, but…