Getting back on track after cancer and cancer treatment can take a while. I mean, it can take a long time. And, frequently, that’s because cancer doesn’t always end when that last treatment does.
Memory issues, financial woes, anxiety, long-term side effects of cancer treatment, and all of the other intricacies of surviving cancer can take a toll on a person. But I like to think differently about this.
I choose to believe I’ve crushed cancer and everything that comes with it. And below are nine things that have helped me step away from cancer, its long-term side effects, and work towards getting where I want to be.
1. Having a Battle Mindset
Even though a recent article in The Guardian says that using “war metaphors” can harm, I still choose to have a battle mindset. I choose to fight.
Hell, being tough-minded personally got me through some of the hardest times in my life. Maybe my claim isn’t based on the hard empirical data that most scientists rely on, but I think I was pretty close enough to situations where I knew my thinking would directly impact my situation.
I hate to break it to you, my intellectual friends, but, for many, a battle mindset is exactly what it takes to get through something like cancer, or any challenging disease for that matter.
2. Making My Bed
Yep, it’s true. I started making my bed in my quest for normalcy and finding peace after cancer treatment.
I know, making your bed might sound like it would do nothing for a person in terms of coping, growing, and being productive. However, there’s something to it.
Making your bed is one of the first things you can do in the morning to create that feeling of accomplishment—that first small win.
Here’s what Charles Duhigg, the author of the book The Power of Habit, has to say about the benefits of making your bed in the morning.
Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.
Charles Duhigg
3. Getting Organized
For me, getting organized and staying organized is just a must-have in my life. And Obviously, this one is closely tied to number two above, making the bed every morning.
You can call me OCD, and I might not even argue with you, but being organized works so well for me.
I mean, even if my system of organization seems disorganized for some, whatever I can do to create that “I know where I stand and what I have to do on all of these items,” feeling, I’m good.
I use to-do lists and spreadsheets to get organized.
It doesn’t matter how much I have to do or how much or little money I have, just knowing where I stand with everything and being able to see it in front of me somehow helps me feel like I have a handle on it all.
4. Working Out
I need to work out like I need to drink coffee, brush my teeth, and breathe air. Without working out, I’m just not me. Oh, and I get flabby, too.
I started working out for the first time when I was nine years old. I can remember my dad bought my first weight set from a Service Merchandise.
I was so skinny from cancer treatment back then, and also stressed. I think my dad knew something about the power of weightlifting and how it could help me.
The benefits of lifting weights are unbelievable. Not only does lifting weights give you nice biceps, abs, and pecs, but it also helps relieve stress, among other things. And, a recent study shows that it may help you live longer.
By fifteen years old, I had a routine and was getting rides to the local YMCA to do my workouts.
And, as I talk about in my book, This is Remission, I actually took small hand weights to the hospital during my bone marrow transplant in 1998. Do you remember the part about small wins?
5. Getting Enough Sleep
I still struggle with this one, and it’s always for different reasons. For the majority of 2019, for example, I had loud upstairs neighbors.
I mean, if you have toddlers above you jumping on a trampoline in the living room, it’s probably not going to allow for a peaceful sleeping environment.
And then other times, like now, I just want to crunch out a blog or something while the dogs in the apartment above me endlessly bark.
I’m digressing again.
So sleep, it’s been hard for me to master this one, but I’ve gotten much better. I try and force myself off of every electronic device by 11:00 PM. This means no Twitter, no Instagram, and definitely no Facebook. It also means no blogging!
6. Engaging in Mindless Activities
This one is the biggest challenge of all. And, at first glance, it seems like engaging in mindless activities shouldn’t be on my list. I mean, what good could come from it, right?
Well, with me, I like to read, write, and work on “my projects.” In a nutshell (very small one), there are lots of things I want to accomplish. Having said that, I’m always “at it.” So stepping away from the books and the computers and just watching a documentary on Amazon Prime allows me just to relax and recover.
7. Finding Passion
This one can be hard for many people—finding what you are passionate about doing.
What is that “thing” you want to do every single day of your life? What is that thing that you are going to do every day to make you feel fulfilled?
For me, reaching other cancer survivors, parents of children with cancer, and anyone affected by cancer is important.
I try to do this through writing, my music, and a project that will launch very soon.
For me, living my passion equals peace of mind.
8. Learning to be Patient
Okay, pardon me why I sound cheesy and cliche for a minute.
There have been many times in my life where I just wanted to rush through things. I wanted to hurry up and get “it” all done. But it just doesn’t work like that.
Whether looking for results from going to the gym, learning a new skill, or learning to go to bed on time, you have to have patience. Patiently enjoy the process while you are on the road to achieving your goals.
9. Balance
For me, this list I’ve detailed above helps me create balance in my life. Because just working out definitely wouldn’t be balanced, just watching Amazon Prime might help me learn more about aliens, the CIA, and the mob, but again, it wouldn’t help me achieve balance in my life.
What has helped you get through/cope with cancer or a hard time in your life? What are your healthy daily habits?
