There is success beyond cancer - by Anjana Nathwani

This week’s blog has been written by Anjana Nathwani, a two time cancer survivor and Business Psychologist. She shares three key aspects to feel and live ‘success’ beyond cancer. 

I was recently privileged to spend a day with Robert Holden and also a day long Happenista Retreat facilitated by Jenny Garrett. The days were within four weeks of each other and in the middle of two family bereavements and busy time with marking University assignments. Life felt challenging as I was moving ahead with my entrepreneurial projects and all of a sudden family and caring responsibilities took over.  

The two events provided an opportunity to renew and reimagine life. Post my second cancer in 2014/2015, my life’s journey has been stimulating and the hunger to feel successful was always playing on my mind. Whilst reading Robert Holden’s Authentic Success I came across an enlightening paragraph:

“True success is about speed and time for reflecting, about pace and patience, about action and inspiration, about now and tomorrow.”

I reflected and asked the best friend within me what does success mean for me at this point in my life. The clarity came at the Happenista Retreat:

“I can apply the wisdom of ‘real’ experience and know that life can be vigorous, privileged and harmonious, and I can give myself permission to follow my dreams.” 

My clients often ask me, is there a magical formula for appreciating and feeling harmonious with life. We all like a magical pill for instant solutions. Though, I have to say that it is a dynamic process and part of everyday life. One has to take care of three key aspects to feel and live ‘success’.  

1.   Physical Intelligence, how do we manage energy. What is our relationship with our body? Do you feel aliveness, is there a constant flow of energy and do you know when to take rest and what nutrition suits you. There is a dearth of literature, research and advice on nutrition, important to explore and know what suits your body and lifestyle.  

I was fortunate to spend a day with Dr Andrew Weil and he said something wonderful to me: “trust your body’s intelligence and listen to what it requires.”  

2.   Emotional Intelligence, this is the relationship with one’s own heart. Emotions have always intrigued psychologists and in the past two decades, psychologists have intensively studied happiness and recently economists and neuroscientists have also joined the party. Psychologist Ed Diener’s research shows that the frequency of positive experiences is a much better predictor of happiness than is the intensity of positive experiences. It is the small stuff that creates lasting happiness. What are the trivia things that create joy? I was recently asked this question and my response was Andre Rieu’s music and watching roses bloom in my garden. In the quest of making big happy things happen, the small things are forgotten! It is important to know what the small joy giving moments are.

3.   Resilience Intelligence, there is a lot of buzz on resilience and I have chosen to call it intelligence. We go through life and the memory of how we overcome tough times is subdued or forgotten. Martin Seligman, the Positive Psychology pioneer says that to ‘build resilience,’ talking to oneself is a good intervention.  Challenging the low energy or down beat thinking with high energy and positive outlook can retrain the brain. During both my cancers, I have found three mental routines that helped to build and sustain resilience.  

·     Living with purpose and intent, giving my life a meaning and ensuring that each day has a success factor.

·     Life loves me exercise as designed by Louise Hay and Robert Holden.

·     Meditation/mindfulness, a daily 20-30 minute routine. Research in many spheres shows that the brain shifts focus and gets in touch high energy memories and this helps to deal with the stress.

Defining success beyond cancer sets a compass for well-being and life. How success is defined influences the mindset, and most importantly how the everyday journey of life feels. Very often the eagerness of reaching a destination or a goal takes over and the ‘soul fullness’ of life becomes sublime as destination addiction takes over. Inevitably the compass of success is very personal, though there are the core ingredients authenticity, purpose, growth and being present with life.

References:

Harvard Business Review Press Emotional Intelligence Series

Hay House Loveability Robert Holden

Hay House Success Intelligence Robert Holden

Hay House Life Loves Me Louise Hay and Robert Holden

Hutchinson IKIGAI Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Anjana Nathwani believes that cancer is a pause that can be nurtured to find purpose in life. She is a Business Psychologist who mentors cancer patients and thrivers on careers and lifestyle and well being. She also specialises in employee engagement in relation to well being and inclusive cultures. 

www.athenalearningacademy.com

anjana.nathwani@athena-business.com

Happiness at Bhaktivedanta Manor - by Sue De Cesare, Director at Yes to Life

This week’s blog has been written by the Director at Yes to Life, Sue De Cesare. She shares her story of our trip to the beautiful Bhaktivedanta Manor on 16^th June…

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is that I get to meet some incredible people. Saturday 16^th June was just one of those days. A retreat day at the Bhaktivedanta Manor near Watford for people with cancer. Edana and I were fortunate enough to have visited the beautiful, peaceful centre earlier in the year and met with JD one of the monks who lives there. Despite having been treated for cancer and still in hospital after surgery, JD pulled together an event with the support of Radhi and the result was a most wonderful and unforgettable day. Edana and I left London early by car and the sun was already out – we were both excited about offering our beneficiaries a chance to join us at the centre. People arrived at a warm reception from Radhi and her beautiful daughter along with Radha a monk who had stepped in to cover JD. 

The day kicked off with Radhi introducing herself – sharing her own journey with cancer and the lifestyle changes she made as a result. Now almost qualified as a yoga teacher, she runs yoga classes at the centre and is part of their wonderful family. Radha introduced himself and within minutes had the room in hysterics. His wit and humour played a big role in our enjoyment of the day. 

Not everyone in the room knew each other so we kicked off the morning with a game of Human Bingo. A sheet with several interesting human characteristics, personalities and life facts were given to each of us with the challenge to go around the room to find someone who fitted each one of them. A great ice-breaker. This was followed by a tour of the centre where we leant about the Hare Krishna movement, its founder and George Harrison’s involvement with the centre. We also got to visit the manor’s dairy farm and visitor centre where they have reintroduced a radical approach to farming. Called Goshala it shelters cows, oxen and one mature bull. Milk is produced in a sustainable and humane way and they are looked after with love for their whole lives. Some of our visitors even got to have a go at milking while the rest of us got to meet the cows, oxen and bull close.  

The group were split into two. A relaxing and calm yoga class was given by Radhi and Jaydev, who used to be a drummer in the 1970’s band the Rubettes, ran a Drumfulness class. Incredibly joyful having the chance to do both – calm yoga and then energetic drumming with a mindfulness perspective. Amazing. 

Then lunch - oh lunch - a delicious epicurean delight served by members of the team who worked at the Manor. After lunch we moved into the theatre and a talk by Emily.

It’s not always the easiest time to engage people after they have been fed and rested but she asked us all to think about what we understood about resilience. She shared her story of her cancer diagnosis and how it affected her. Such a positive and empathetic young woman who has taken her cancer diagnosis by the horns, turned her life around and is now an NLP Life Coach and Health Psychologist.  

After sitting rather comfortably in the theatre, Radha came back in full of hilarious anecdotes followed by lots of laughter. Split into groups of 5, we were then sent on our way – yes it was time for the Treasure Hunt. Each team had a leader and was given an envelope with a clue and instructions and off we all set. My group solved the first clue and found one of the volunteers – our challenge (should we have chosen to accept it – ok ok Mission Impossible just sprang to mind) was to make a 30 second film about our experience so far. Blimey – nothing easy about that, but after several bouts of hysterics we created a strange version of George Harrison’s song ‘Something in the way she moves’ interspersed with moo-ing in place of moving and drumming – a real challenge - we did our best. Each group had to solve 5 riddles and undertake 5 challenges whilst taking selfies of the group and the volunteer at each stage – again a massive amount of thought and preparation by Radhi, JD and Radha. It was a fabulous way to end the day with everyone returning to the theatre, happy, chatting and sharing and lots of smiles and laughter. We were all winners in the end and Radhi thanked everyone for taking part and sharing. Leaving with gratitude and a beautiful gift from the Manor as well as more delicious vegan cakes, everyone left feeling special, happy, calm and smiling.

For us, it was great to see old friends who have been to other Yes to Life events and to meet some of our beneficiaries for the first time. We loved being around people with such positivity and the feedback – well its understandably been fantastic. 

We will be returning soon. 

Sue 

You can see details of our upcoming events here. 

On gratitude - by Clare McLusky

This week's blog has been written by Clare McLusky, Trustee of Yes to Life and trained mindfulness teacher with a Masters in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford University. Today Clare shares with us some simple and helpful tips on gratitude... 

Whenever I am struggling and stressed, and life feels just plain challenging, I tend to stop doing all the things that help resource me, like exercise, mindfulness, seeing friends. It can feel hard to focus on organising or doing anything. At these times, I have discovered that doing a gratitude practice really helps and soon begins to change the quality of my day. It is a quick and easy practice to do and simply involves bringing to mind things you are grateful for that day. I find I start opening up to all the things that are good in my life and I regain my perspective.

When you are living with cancer and going through tests and treatment it can be all consuming and over-whelming and it is helpful to remind yourself of what you can be grateful for like supportive family and friends, a team of practitioners you trust in, the nurse who smiled warmly at you today and seemed to understand, the comfort of the bed you sleep in, the flowers bursting forth with colour in the garden, the birds singing. The difficulties and challenges are still there but you begin to notice the good things in your life too, particularly the small pleasures that may come your way.

Recently, I taught a mindfulness course to a group of 14 wonderful people who are living with cancer. I decided to introduce a simple gratitude practice - The Five Finger Gratitude Practice. We had a go experiencing it in the session and if you feel like it, you could give it a try now.  Just sitting here, ask yourself what am I grateful for in this actual moment? As you hold the first finger and recognise something to be grateful for, be curious as to whether there is any resonance in the body. Perhaps there is a sense of warmth, of ease or of opening. Then holding consecutive fingers find 4 more things. For me now, I am sitting comfortably for which I am grateful, I am warm, the sky is blue, the sun is setting, and the train is lulling me into a soporific state. Five things I feel grateful for. 

The invitation to the group was to do this practice at the end of each day, reflecting on what had happened during the day and feeling again the pleasure or enjoyment of it.   Some people experienced it as quite transformative “it made my whole week more pleasant”. One member found that she was beginning to “collect pleasant moments during the day”. As they continued with the practice over the 8 weeks of the course, they too felt it helped put things in perspective.

It can be helpful to aim for a Ten Finger Gratitude Practice which really pushes us to bring to mind the perhaps small and often unnoticed things that happen or the things that we take for granted, like a safe and comfortable home to live in, a warm bed, food on the table.  

The fact is that we are hard-wired to notice the negative; what’s wrong, the problems and what feels lacking. The psychologist Rick Hanson says, “attention is like Teflon for pleasant experiences and Velcro for unpleasant experiences”. The good news is that we can train ourselves to pay attention to the pleasant experiences in our lives and as we do so, we start to notice more and more positive things. As the saying goes, what you choose to focus on becomes your reality. Give it a go!

Exploring The Mind-Body Connection: Mood As Medicine - by Dr Lauren MacDonald

This week's blog post is by Dr Lauren MacDonald, stage IV cancer survivor who has been NED for over a year. In line with Stress Awareness Month, Lauren shares with us her exploration with the mind-body connection. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the mind, it’s what led me to study Psychology before eventually going on to study Medicine. However, during neither of my degrees did I really consider the enormity of the overlap in the two subjects – namely, that the mind has the power to help heal the body, but also make it physically diseased in the first place. I guess this is because western medicine was traditionally shaped by systems of thought that emphasised the opposite – that the mind and body are separate entities. Yet it now seems so blindingly obvious that they are in fact deeply entwined. The emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology (“psycho” for psychology; “neuro” for neurology, or nervous system; and “immunology” for immunity) is finally providing scientific support for this idea. On a personal level, I also feel as though I’ve had first-hand experience of psychoneuroimmunology via my own cancer journey.

Introducing The Mind-Body Connection

A growing body of scientific research suggests that our mind can play an important role in healing our body, as well as help us to stay healthy in the first place. Recent research has examined how emotions impact our physiology and, as you might expect, emotions such as chronic stress, loneliness, and sadness have been found to cause inflammation, hormone imbalances, impaired immunity, high blood pressure, and illnesses ranging from heart disease and cancer, to anxiety and depression. Conversely, states of calmness, mindfulness and happiness have profound positive benefits, from improved sleep and energy, to better cancer survival rates, and longer telomeres (the end pieces of DNA that shorten as we age).

Although I don’t buy into the idea that the mind can cure the body of cancer simply with positive thinking (this is something I’ve seen peddled on various cancer forums and which actually makes me really angry because it suggests the countless number of people who’ve died from this disease somehow failed to think positively enough), I do now recognise there is a significant role for thoughts and emotions in recovering from illness and preventing disease.

Stress And Cancer

I’ve always felt that I developed cancer at such a young age (and with no family history) due to experiencing two years of chronic stress prior to my diagnosis. I went through two messy relationship break-ups during that time, had to move out of my house, sofa-surfed with friends whilst revising for my medical school finals, moved into a new house with a bunch of strangers from Gumtree, and started work as a junior doctor on a busy ward. After years of flooding my body with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, I was permanently exhausted, and likely put my body at risk of developing cancer. Of course, this can be debated and I’ll never know whether the chronic stress I experienced did contribute to my disease, but there is increasing scientific evidence supporting this idea.

When a person is exposed to a stressful event, their sympathetic nervous system – the system responsible for the ‘fight-or-flight’ response – is triggered, in turn increasing production of a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) which regulates how our genes are expressed. NF-kB translates stress by activating genes to produce proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation at cellular level – a reaction that is useful as a short-lived fight-or-flight reaction, but if persistent leads to a higher risk of cancer, accelerated aging and disorders like depression.

The Placebo Effect: An Example Of The Mind-Body Connection

When it comes to learning about the mind-body connection and its relationship to our health, it can be difficult to choose a starting place amongst the vast and growing body of research. However, one of the best places to start is probably with the placebo effect. The placebo effect is fascinating because it unlocks the power of the mind; the biological changes observed in the body after administration of a placebo (for example a pill containing no active drug) are not triggered by the placebo itself, but rather by our mind, and our psychological response to these “fake” treatments.

The power of the placebo can be traced back to a landmark study by the late psychologist Robert Ader in the 1970’s. Ader was trying to condition taste-aversion in rats. He’d give them a saccharine drink and, at the same time, inject them with Cytoxan, a drug that suppresses the immune system, but also makes you feel sick. And it worked. The rats learned to hate the sweet drink, which they linked with nausea. Yet, when Ader kept forcing the rats to drink it, they experienced something worse than a mere distaste for saccharine. They started dropping dead, one by one. The reason? Their immune system had “learned” to fail by repeated pairing of the drink with the cytotoxic drug. Incredibly, the drink alone turned off their immunity and they succumbed to infection.

It also turns out that the placebo effect is more powerful than was once thought. In June 2017 a review of five studies, involving 260 patients, found that “open-label” placebos – those that patients know contain no active medication – can improve symptoms in a wide range of conditions.

Healing The Body By Utilising The Mind

It makes sense that if the mind can contribute to making the body sick, it can likely also support its healing. This idea is perhaps best illustrated by the emerging scientific evidence which has examined the impact mind-body activities like yoga and meditation have on human physiology. Eastern traditions of healing (Traditional Chinese Medicine originating in China, and Ayurvedic Medicine from India) have been focussed on this idea for more than 3,000 years.

Interestingly, research has revealed that people who practice activities which originated from these eastern healing systems often show a decrease in production of NF-kB and cytokines, leading to a reversal of the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern and a reduction in the risk of inflammation-related diseases and conditions.

More needs to be done to understand these effects in greater depth, for example how they compare with other healthy interventions like exercise or nutrition. But this research provides an important foundation to build on to help future researchers explore the benefits of mind-body activities.

Self-Healing

Leading on from this idea, I just want to take a moment to reiterate that I am in no way suggesting that it is possible to heal yourself from cancer by channelling some kind of cosmic energy through the mind! Self-healing with regards to cancer in particular, is an incredibly controversial idea and one that as doctor I don’t believe is plausible. Many people with cancer or incurable diseases are made to feel like failures because they eat well, meditate, believe in God or divine energy, but yet can’t heal themselves. Ultimately some diseases are terminal, no matter what you think or feel. In these cases, traditional medicine (surgery, drugs or radiotherapy) provide the only potential chance of recovery, or at least a prolonged survival.

The Future Of Mind-Body Medicine

Aside from cancer, there are plenty of conditions which I believe can be healed, or even cured, by utilising the power of the mind. Non-traditional healing methods are slowly gaining acceptance within the medical world and there is finally more research being done in this area. Whereas meditation was once considered by doctors to be “mumbo jumbo”, opinion has shifted and people now understand its benefits, the science, and how it can empower patients to be active participants in their healing.

Ultimately the emerging field of Mind-Body Medicine emphasises an individuals whole being, acknowledging that emotional, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions are all important factors in wellbeing, health and healing. However, more research needs to be carried out in this area to enable medical professionals to guide patients towards potentially helpful adjunct healing modalities – rather than leaving patients to be drawn towards expensive, alternative “cures”.

In the meantime I highly recommend any activities which calm the mind, lower cortisol levels, and (hopefully) enable the body to do what its equipped to do; heal. Check out these posts for some ideas:

A Beginners Guide To Meditation

The Damage Stress Does To Your Body And What You Can Do About It

On Saturday 12th May the Yes to Life spring conference will be taking place in the China Exchange in central London entitled 'Mind your body - The vital role of the mind and the spirit in recovery and wellbeing'. It will involve talks from influential speakers in the day and practical workshops in the afternoon. 

Find out more here.

Feel-good Treats Declared by Cancer Survivors!

Today's blog is from Anjana Nathwani, the founder of Athena Business Psychologists, who talks about the importance of treats for people living with cancer and beyond.

Anjana Nathwani

As a two-time survivor of cancer, I believe it is important to treat oneself! Emotional well-being is an important part of the healing process and treats have that feel-good factor, which reminds us that Life is a Luxury!

I am now working with people who have been through the cancer experience and have returned to work.  I have spoken with 100 plus people on what they consider is a treat!  Overwhelmingly most people commented that what they once took for granted they now consider a valuable treat.  I was astonished and yet agreed.  And these are my top five treats:

#Music - this was number one on everyone’s list.  Time to wind down and chill with favourite tunes and melodies.  15 minutes every evening to soothe the mind and forget the happenings of the day! This process of emptying with music allows the brain to recharge.

An introduction to Bach Flower Remedies

Today our post comes from Sara, a Bach Flower Remedies Practitioner, who talks about the impact of stress on the body and the benefits of using these remedies are for those diagnosed with cancer. 

Hello everybody, my name is Sara and I am a Bach Flower Remedies Practitioner. I am writing this post because I believe the Bach Flower Remedies (BFR) can be a big help for people with cancer. When your Doctor diagnoses you with cancer, a wave of emotion will hit you. These emotions have a deep effect that cannot be underestimated or ignored.

A diagnosis of cancer is undoubtedly a trigger for a lot of emotions and a very stressful situation to deal with. Everybody reacts in their own way. Shock, fear of death, worry about the outcome, concern for our beloved, panic, despair, anger towards this invader, self-pity… there isn’t a right or wrong way to feel about having cancer.

Embracing Better Health through 'Coffee with a Purpose'

Today's post is from founder of Loveursoul and creator of 'Coffee with a Purpose', Lucy Batham-Read. 'Coffee with a Purpose' is a support group scheme designed to bring together practitioners and those interested in taking control of their health holistically to share knowledge, experiences and of course coffee! Lucy is working in partnership with us to win funding to start a 'Yes to Life Coffee with a Purpose' scheme specifically run by, and for, people who have or have had cancer. To find out more and vote for us to win please click here it is free and takes a few minutes, thank you!

‘Coffee with a Purpose’ is all about bringing people together to find ways to boost well-being and define boundaries to remain healthy in mind, body and soul. These groups are supportive spaces where people can begin to work out what is right for their own health and start to make choices that will help them to live the life they want.

Living in the 21st century is tough at the best of times but living life to the full can be made much easier if you listen to your body, live from the heart, trust your instinct, and forgive yourself for being human. Sometimes it takes trauma for us to wake up and ‘smell the coffee ‘and whilst this may be an incredibly tough way to do it, for some it is the beginning of their freedom.

My own life has, in parts, been incredibly tough both physically and emotionally and I have learnt some hard lessons. Now it is time to put those lessons to good use.

Puyssentut - A unique retreat for people with cancer

Today’s post is by Kirsten Chick a nutritional therapist, consultant and lecturer with over 10 years' experience. She currently works at the Vision of Hope Clinic (www.visionofhopeclinic.com), where many cancer patients seek a holistic approach, including nutritional advice, ozone therapy, vitamin C therapy and more. Here she introduces Puyssentut, a unique retreat for people with cancer to pursue recovery in the South of France.

My passion for nutrition began when I was diagnosed with cancer over 15 years ago. This was the beginning of a journey that would lead me to re-evaluate my approach to life, healing and self-nurturing. My aim is not only to share the important discoveries I've made, but to help people to find their own way, learn their own lessons and rediscover the joy and wholeness in their own lives.

Puyssentut is a very special place run by a wonderful couple with a clear and heart-led intention: “to provide a source of well-being and inspiration for people with cancer.” These are not “detox retreats” or “cancer cures”. This is something much more profound and earthy. What people with a cancer diagnosis often need most is a calming space where they can relax, be nourished and reconnect with themselves. Puyssentut provides just that.

Our Yoga Workshop – A Sense of Calm

Today’s post is about our recent yoga workshop hosted by the lovely Barbara Gallani and with delicious refreshments from Gloria Halim of Rock on Divas.

On a rainy afternoon, a small group of people with cancer gathered at The Life Centre, Islington to learn more about how yoga can support the body and mind through illness.

We were welcomed with a green juice, freshly prepared by Gloria. A tangy blend of spinach, celery, cucumber, mint and green tea awakened our senses as Gloria kicked off proceedings by telling us of her own experiences. A few years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and embarked on a journey which led her to take charge of her own health. She re-educated and re-balanced herself and is now about to celebrate five years of living cancer free.

Breast Cancer Seminar Review 2014: The Importance of Exercise

Today's post discusses the importance of exercise to cancer patients at any stage of recovery, drawing on talks given by Ted Poulter, physical activity adviser to Macmillan, and Barbara Gallani, yoga specialist, at our recent July 2014 seminar ' Breast Cancer - The Power of Choice'. If you are interested in putting some of these ideas into practice, Barbara is running a specialised yoga workshop with us on Monday 13th October, for more information and a link to buy tickets please see our events page here.

As more and more studies are showing, exercise is an entirely natural and harm-free way to effectively support cancer treatment and recovery. At our major annual seminar we were fortunate to hear from two experts, Ted Poulter and Barbara Gallani, who offered practical advice on how to go about improving health with physical activity.

Ted is a senior adviser for Macmillan and having been through cancer treatment himself, offered a very personal understanding and overview of the importance of physical activity for recovery. Ted began by admitting it was a lot easier to preach than to practice but by the end of his talk it was clear that this was an effort worth making. Studies by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) shows that exercise has no adverse effects and can improve health in many areas including aerobic capacity, muscular strength, reducing fatigue, slowing disease progression and contributing to protection from recurrence. Benefits have been studied in breast, colorectal, prostate and haematological cancer (which account for 50% of cancers in the UK) and particularly in breast cancer.

The Road to Transylvania 2014 pt. 2

Today is our second post from Paul Stevens, a long-time Yes To Life supporter who is taking part in our cycle adventure to Transylvania in September 2014 and hoping to raise lots of money on the way!

Well it’s been a while since my last writings and training has been going well. Well, it’s been going! To be fair I am still overweight and I really don’t think that will ever change!!!

I am cycling to work at least twice a week, still wishing the weather would actually brighten up. A beautiful sunny day is the best type of weather to cycle in and home.

Mind Choice: Being with Uncertainty

Today's post is the third written by Clare McLusky who provides us with an insight into her experience with cancer and the popular practice of Mindfulness. 

Clare has a Masters degree in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy from University of Oxford and teaches Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy to people living with cancer. Clare is also a qualified Occupational Therapist, Yes to Life Helpline volunteer and one of the founding members and facilitators of Oxford Sangha, practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

My experience over the last two weeks has been a strong reminder of how difficult it is to be with uncertainty, by which I mean staying present with the sheer awfulness of not knowing.  For me this meant not pushing for answers or trying to ‘fix’ things but letting go and allowing things to unfold in their own time.  It also meant not self-medicating with TV or food or wine or endless chatter or searching for solutions but being present to the mind states and emotions that passed through.  To begin with I literally felt weighed down by it and was physically dragging myself around – my mind heavy and numb.  Then the cracks in this armour of a mental state started allowing the sadness of the situation to wash through my heart and I’d find myself in tears but somehow that was refreshing, at least I felt alive.

From 'Why me?' to 'What more do I want from life?'.

Today's post is written by Claire Timmerman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 24 years old. She has very kindly shared her story with us in the hope that it will inspire others to remain positive when facing a cancer diagnosis, and in life after treatment.

Claire and her husband hold Simply Sumptuous retreats in Orgiva, Southern Spain. One of the retreats - 'Women and Cancer' (7th - 14th June 2014) - is dedicated to women who have experienced cancer.

When I was 24, I was out having drinks with friends one night.  It was Friday 13^th and all of a sudden I found myself doubled over in pain.  Not one to normally leave a bar early - well I was only 24 - I went home.  The weekend was spent with sporadic bursts of a similar abdominal pain until finally on Monday, I went to the doctor, who sent me to hospital that night. The next morning I found myself having emergency surgery for the removal of a large ovarian cyst – the size of a cantaloupe melon!  I never imagined that a few days later they would tell me that the cyst was part malignant – I had ovarian cancer.  It was a surreal feeling.  Even afterwards, when friends and relatives would be in touch and they would be in tears, it just felt odd. 

Mind Choice: Seize the day

Today's post is the second post written by Clare McLusky who provides us with an insight into her experience with cancer and the popular practice of Mindfulness. 

Clare has a Masters degree in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy from University of Oxford and teaches Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy to people living with cancer. Clare is also a qualified Occupational Therapist, Yes to Life Helpline volunteer and one of the founding members and facilitators of Oxford Sangha, practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

January was a real struggle and it took me practically the whole month to recover from Christmas and to feel alive and focused again.  The festive period combined with the school holidays is frequently a time when I find myself becoming scattered and depleted.  The culmination is that I drift along feeling tired, eating more, meditating less and becoming increasingly unaware of where my attention is and consequently making less choices in the moment, for example, about whether or not to follow a train of thought.  I am more reactive than responsive to life.  This vicious cycle keeps going until I have a deadline that can no longer be put off.  I then do the necessary to feel alive and focused again in order to get the job done, which for me is a return to healthy eating, exercise, meditation, journal writing and setting intentions.  Thank goodness for deadlines!

Top 10 Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips For Optimal Recovery

Today's post is written by Faye Butler and Sophie Tully who are Nutrition Scientists at Igennus Healthcare Nutrition. Igennus Healthcare Nutrition focus on providing natural means of improving health based on scientific research.

Top 10 Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips For Optimal Recovery

1. Reduce refined carbohydrates 
Sugar, including foods containing it, such as cakes and sweets, causes blood glucose levels to rise significantly and regularly eating these foods has been linked to increased risk of certain cancers. Keeping intake low is therefore important for cancer recovery as high intake of sugars can suppress the immune system which will, in turn, inhibit the healing process.