This is a difficult and trying time, both physically and mentally , but it is important to approach it with hope and a positive attitude. There is plenty of evidence that people with a higher level of hope either through personal determination or through spiritualisation (meditation or praying to a deity), live longer, enjoy a healthier life and are more responsive to treatments.
In this vain there is ‘faith healing’ (brought about by prayers and religious faith) and ‘spiritual healing’ (using energies from natural life forces). More information can be got by searching in Google or other search engines
There are several things we can do to look after ourselves and improve the odds of our survival.
Meditation is an excellent way of coping with stress. It is a unique skill, which is incredibly simple, cheap and manageable to do, and yet impacts every aspect of life. Just as going to the gym to work on your physical fitness, meditation gets easier and more powerful with practice.
Meditating, even for just ten minutes a day, increases the blood flow to the parts of the brain that are responsible for feelings of happiness and emotional stability, effectively increasing the health and wellbeing of your brain.
Research at Harvard University show that meditation increases the blood flow to the cortex region of the brain, which is associated with feelings of happiness and wellbeing and they are looking at ways to use it to treat people who suffer from anxiety, depression and compulsive or addictive behaviours. However, for many people it is about simply about being able to get a good night’s rest!
Positive thought and emotions boost the immune system whilst negative ones do the reverse and it is well documented that the chances of survival and speed of recovery are greatly enhanced if assisted by a sense of purpose and a positive approach
Various tests have been done which show that chemotherapy and radiation treatment has better success rates if the patient has a positive frame of mind
I am an optimist and positive thinking comes naturally for me but I know how difficult it is to remain positive if you are in pain or feeling depressed.
I also find the repetitiveness and the dullness of some of the routines demoralising so I make them easier by turning them into a game or a challenge. i.e. improving the speed in which I complete them and reward myself if I beat the existing time.
Laughter is known to aid recovery and it is very fast acting and fun to do
It has the following benefits
Boredom manifests negative thoughts so you will need to think of ways of breaking the monotony and making days more interesting and fun. Do some of the things you like doing or have wanted to do. To find out to develop new skills, I search for them in You tube.
Personally, I formed a to-do list of tasks I wanted to complete
Get more ideas for hobbies use a search engine like google and type in’ list of hobbies’
Although it is a basic human instinct to want to live, an individual’s approach to death is influenced by the amount of meaning and purpose they have found throughout their lifetime.
People who feel they understand their purpose in life or find a special meaning, face less fear and despair in the final weeks of their lives than those who had not.
There is evidence that people with a higher level of spiritualisation; meditation or praying to a deity, live longer and enjoy a healthier life.
Many people faced with this situation have attempted to record their emotions and thoughts when pronounced terminally ill. Philip Gould died of cancer in 2011 and found comfort in selecting his final resting place and took time planning and visiting it beforehand. It became a special place and gave him a lot of comfort knowing where he would spend eternity. In his book ‘When I die: lessons from the Dead Zone’ he looks at death in a very pragmatic way and you may find it helpful. All proceeds going to Cancer charities
Many people believe that stress is an acceptable and important motivator in our lives which gives us that enjoyable ‘adrenaline drive’. However, prolonged periods of stress can cause our bodies long term problems including a boost of unwanted acidity.
Learning to manage stress is important in maintaining a positive physical, emotional, and spiritual outlook on life.
When my 21-year-old daughter went a bit wobbly on learning the news and struggled with her exams, she was supported magnificently by the university’s Extenuating Circumstances Board and although my wife bravely faced the daily challenges, she benefitted enormously from the Macmillan Trust’s counsellors.
Prolonged stress can also lead to frustration, anger, hopelessness and depression, so as soon as you feel less able to cope, it is most important that you seek help.
Positive lifestyle changes will enhance your wellbeing, be generally uplifting and reduce stress by creating a sense of regaining control of your situation