No one wants to hear the words, "I'm sorry, but you have cancer."
You can't even predict how you will react to these words until it happens. Some people are relieved to know why they have been feeling so horrible. The shock for others leaves them speechless. Perhaps you jumped right into fix-it mode to figure out how to solve the problem. There is no wrong way to react. Everyone I know, diagnosed or not, equates the word cancer to death. Ask anyone the first thing they think of when they hear the word cancer, and you will understand what I mean.
I know what it is like to hear those words. I know what it is like to feel so alone with the feelings of dread and fear. I know what it is like to feel paralyzed to make a decision about how to move forward because each choice feels like life or death.
Step 1: Take a breath. The journey ahead of you is not a sprint. I don't like to call it a marathon either; instead, it is like hiking up a mountain. It will be tiring and challenging at times. You will also have time to rest. Some days you will experience the most incredible views. You can take whomever you want on the hike. You should probably pack snacks and water.
Step 2: Practice calming your mind. One of our most valuable gifts is our mind. On other days, it can feel like one of our greatest enemies. Focusing on the "what ifs" and the probabilities of our diagnosis makes our day worse AND, more importantly, activates our sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Your SNS can increase inflammation in the body. Since inflammation is the root of all disease...you do not want this if you intend to heal your body.
Step 3: Focus on what you want. What you feed grows, especially when it comes to your attention. If you desire to heal your body, focus on that instead of dreading the unwritten future. Probability is not the same as possibility. Probability focuses on the past, where possibility opens all the doors to a limitless future. If you want to starve a thought, feed one you want to grow. With practice, this works!
Step 4: Listen and learn. It may seem like you are doing everything "right" in your health journey. However, a cancer diagnosis is a communication from the body that something is not balanced. Perhaps you have listened to everyone else about what your body needs to be healthy. It may be time to listen and learn from the source: your body. Creating a relationship with your body is a process that takes time. You may not be able to hear what it is saying and understand it at first, but cancer is the perfect opportunity to begin.
Step 5: Enjoy the journey. It is incredibly cliche, I know! But if you allow it, cancer will not teach you how to die; it will teach you how to live! Be a detective and find moments in your day where you stop and experience the joy of the moment...the touch of a loved one, music that resonates with your soul, the warmth of the sun, grass that tickles your feet, laughter, or anything else to bring you out of the past or future and into the present moment. Only someone who has been diagnosed with cancer can say these things....because they work!
If you desire a more profound experience of healing the body, consider joining me on a retreat. Changing your thoughts and beliefs will only get you so far...you have to experience something different for your body to change entirely. This allows the mind and body to be in congruence, i.e., heal. Sending all my love!
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