Why It's Good— The Practice of Accepting Cancer

We’re human and at times very vulnerable. Cancer amplifies that. Sorting through anger, and feeling violated, or holding a diminished sense of physicality and strength is already a lot. Cancer is not only attacking your body, it threatens your sense of self, the identity and lifestyle you had before diagnosis from so many different angles, and all at once. It’s disorienting, infuriating, and debilitating. 

If you’re like many of us, you may not have even been feeling sick before your diagnosis, which is also confusing and misleading. It tricks you into thinking that you can ignore the truth. Now, as I write this, nearly eight years after my diagnosis, and being cancer-free as I write this, I continue to recover from the loss of my freedom and independence, compromised health and the feeling of being less like my pre-cancer self. The trauma persists, and I live with the fear of recurrence, anxiety about lymphedema, and dealing with the slow healing of my scars. Oh, and PTSD amongst cancer survivors is a real thing.

“Cancer and cancer treatment can also cause PTSD. For example, one study shows that nearly 1 in 4 women who had recently been told they had breast cancer had PTSD.” (cancer.net approved by the editorial board 7/2022) It continues from there to treatment, isolation, keeping up with your job, family, and responsibilities in life. 

Cancer drains your energy, time, sanity, peace and calm. It will prey on all that you are, and when we apply practical methods for acceptance and understanding, you can
help to activate and reinforce your individuality and strengths, as well as the resource that you already are. This reality and my foundation in the philosophy of yoga helps to foster my growth, provide me with motivation to practice rest and self-care in stillness, while being cared for and loved by others. All of these things have deepened my practice by expanding it beyond being only a physical exercise into a more meaningful, connected, and effective pursuit than it was previously. 

Now well aware of the uncomfortable truths which include personal imperfections, I’ve grown stronger within that scary space between where it all completely hits the fan, and how you bounce back from it. The wisdom is in the understanding that the middle piece is the practice. It is profound in those moments of quiet where it’s just you alone with your thoughts, mulling over your diagnosis, and what you plan to do about it. That can be a scary, isolating, and lonely place to be. Though I have had difficult days, I’ve been able to look at the gritty, often ugly, and uncomfortable work of establishing a new foundation within a new normal. It’s a progressive journey. Who are you, and what is your power? With guidance on how to implement this practical and very full practice, you will be able to stand your ground and look deep into your strengths, and access them for your benefit. 

*This has been Excerpt #3 + pre-view of my book. Join my list for updates and download my free guide.