Cancer and Stress
Stress is basically any situation which causes you to feel anxious, nervous, pressured or depressed. Every one of us are affected by stress, even if it's on a small scale. Many of us stress about situations that are temporary but cancer is permanent. Stress disturbs the equilibrium in our mind and body which in turn creates disease. Managing stress is important for cancer prevention but if you already have cancer it is imperative that you don't get stressed out. Stress wreaks havoc in the body and brings you further away from homeostasis. Unfortunately, there is no way to escape stress in the world we live in today but there are certainly ways to manage stress in a healthy way. Here are the most common stresses in our life and the practical ways to de-stress the situation:
1. Negative thoughts: Nothing contributes to our stress as much as our negative thoughts. Our thoughts could be our best friend or our worst enemy. Sometimes, our mind can make things worse than they really are; adding more unnecessary stress! We have the power to choose thoughts that heal or hurt. Our thoughts become our reality. Everything in this universe began with just a single thought. We should always make a sincere effort to tap into the power of our thoughts. Simple exercises like self-observation, mantra chanting and positive affirmations have the ability to calm down the inner fight. Next time you are stuck in any stressful situation, concentrate on your breathing and if anything discouraging or negative comes to your mind, let it go. Think happy thoughts and do not react. Get it together, wait a few moments, then respond.
2. Family pressure: The word 'family' should be listed in your strengths and not in your stresses. However, if you are dealing with stress in order to serve your family, remember that your family will be happy only if you are in a joyful situation. Many of my clients work tirelessly to provide the best for their families but end up creating distance within the family. Your family is only complete if it is supported by the pillars of love, friendship, and trust. Professional degrees are sometimes known as divorce degrees because, more often than not, in order to pursue a good career, people end up neglecting their family. But no corporate success can ever compensate for failure in the home. If you have a healthy family life, you are healthy and wealthy, beyond measure. To de-stress your family life, always concentrate on the positive attributes of your loved ones. Even the people in your life are a little crazy, you would surely miss them if they were gone. Pardon their shortcomings and focus on their good qualities.
3. Depression of being sick: The moment there is a diagnosis of cancer stress levels go through the roof. This is a natural reaction, however being depressed in such a critical condition will only add to the problem. It doesn't help at all, it only makes things worse. When there is any kind of disease in the body, stress will multiply it. Even though it is incredibly difficult, remain as calm as possible. Responding, rather than reacting, should be your mantra, when it comes to stress. Keeping a positive attitude could be what saves your life, as our thoughts are very powerful. Be aware of your sickness and take time to learn everything you can about it. Everyday do something that makes you more positive from the inside. Attend retreats, listen to uplifting music, read inspirational books and most importantly, meditate!
4. Negative peeps, stay away!: If there is someone in your life who leaves you feeling drained, do your best to avoid them. Even the greatest sages have advised us to keep away from negative people. Positive energy gathered in days can be destroyed in minutes. Negative people will not help you in any situation but will instead leave you feeling even more stressed. They do a great job in declaring how torturous the world is to live in. Sometimes these people cannot be avoided so you must prepare a shield for yourself to neutralize their negative energy. The best way to combat negativity is with positivity! It can be challenging to maintain a positive attitude but it can be done with the power of your thoughts. Imagine yourself immersed in a bubble of positive, white light and no dark energy can get in. Continue being positive and either you will convert them to optimism or they will leave you in your happy-go-lucky zone.
5. Stories of cancer failures: It doesn't matter how well you are progressing, once you hear about someone losing their battle with cancer you get overwhelmed with feelings of discouragement. You want to cultivate positive thoughts so it would be highly beneficial to read stories of triumph and healing, instead. Saturating yourself with stories of survival and strength will give you more power to fight this disease. You must see it in your mind that you've already beat cancer. Imagine yourself happy and healthy...remember about the power of our thoughts? If you read upsetting stories, you will be upset. Inspire yourself with tales of triumph. The founder of the Cancer Schmancer Movement, Fran Drescher, is herself the epitome of courage and inspiration to many on their cancer journey. Become inspired by her will to live and 'no-quit' attitude. Fran is an inspiration for turning her negative into a positive and helping others through their fight.
Remember that you hold in yourself all that it takes to heal yourself. In our other articles, we will touch upon the various ways to feed your soul and rise above cancer.
About the author:
As Founder of the self-discovery center Break The Norms (BTN), Chandresh Bhardwaj is one of the youngest inspirational New Age teachers of our time. Pursuing initiatives as a life coach, spiritual healer, and friend, his work emphasizes techniques in the Eastern Science of Healing and Transformation. Sought from people all over the world, his guidance allows for a uncorrupted and honest approach towards spirituality. Primarily, Chandresh conducts programs at Break the Norms to transcend the mind, body, and soul in heightened awareness. He is currently serving clients in the USA, India, England as well as Canada. As a published writer, Chandresh provokes spiritual dialogue in themes such as meditation, repressed emotions, power thoughts and Tantra. Presently, he contributes to Tathaastu Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Intent Voice and Elephant Journal. Moreover, Chandresh is a featured guest on Karma Mantra's Spiritual Labs video series on self-growth and wellness. Chandresh is an active member in the 'Cancer-Schmancer Movement' and is leading the 'Medication to Meditation Movement' as part of BTN's collaboration with Cancer Schmancer.
