Stress, work and exercise
Halla
Member Posts: 185 ✭
Hello ladies and gents , do you think stress had a part to play in your diagnosis?
I was/am a bit of a workaholic - in my own business. Now I’m not sure how much to push myself. I want to prioritise exercise for my health and well-being , which is hard time -wise. I feel guilty taking time out for exercise during the day, as it takes hours planning, getting ready, getting there, doing it, getting back, getting changed again etc. Getting up super early to do it seems like it’s adding more stress than it’s relieving. And evenings are for dinner!
I need my business to survive
to support myself now and later, but I need to survive first.
How to find a good balance?
I need my business to survive
to support myself now and later, but I need to survive first.
How to find a good balance?
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Comments
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As far as I know, stress is not considered a cause for bc. But it’s not all that good for your general health - it depends of course on what kind of stress. Some stresses can be invigorating, a bit of an adrenalin rush. Others are not, they wear you down and erode your energy and emotional
resilience. I found taking out a gym membership helped - I’d paid so I should use it! After a while, it became a habit, a good one. It’s amazing how much time you can find to do the things you want to do. So
much harder to find time for things you don’t want to do. If you can find some form of exercise you enjoy - walking, dancing, running, Zumba, whatever - you’re more likely to stick with it. Best wishes.2 -
12 months after diagnosis, when I decided to make some changes, I was able to switch to a four day week, so at first I went on Friday mornings to a yoga class about 10.30. I’m not an early morning person! The main thing that helped was to make it a regular weekly commitment, same day, same time, not just go when I felt like it. Being part of a group was useful too. After a while, I added a Sunday morning workout. I kept up yoga and walking at home during lockdowns and restrictions - just resumed my yoga class today, it was terrific!!1
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I think that stress can actually cause it. Not the good kind, that motivates you to do things (if that’s even stress). It’s the one when you’re constantly worrying about something, running around like crazy, overworking yourself etc. When you stop to take a break, and can’t even relax cos your body is not used to it. That’s pretty bad in my opinion. If you put yourself on autopilot, you can keep going and achieving. You can work quite hard with little rest. But one day, your body is gonna break down and get bc. This is my personal experience. There were no other risk factors. I’ve read countless comments from bc ladies, and one thing we all seem to have in common is being highly stressed and anxious, overworked, suffering from bottled up trauma, one or all of these 👈🏻. I don’t think food and drink play such a big part as these factors do, or even exercise. It’s the psychological and emotional breakdown which I believe causes high anxiety, and depression in some cases, and that’s when the immune system weakens and affects the body physically. Of course I could be wrong, but I have an inkling I’m not. Either way, eliminating stress as much as possible can only do you good. And exercise you love is also a tremendous help overall.I hope you manage to keep your business going without too much harm to yourself ♥️1
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I’ve noticed that too @FLClover, and I am definitely the worrying anxious personality type. Although I did have risk factors - I drank a fair bit of alcohol, used to smoke, am overweight and didn’t have kids...but then those factors are really a result of me being anxious and stressed so 🤷🏼♀️
I also took the pill and HRT.0 -
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I used to smoke as well, years ago. But a woman asked this question on the fb page, and most of the responses were from women who’d never smoked, hardly drank, very fit and watched what they ate. Plus, a lot of the women here have children, some even 3 or 4!! So I’m starting to think that might not even play a part. It’s all still research. I’ve asked so many specialists and no one really knows. So I can only go from myself, and what I’ve read. Most of us seem to have troubles stemming from childhood, cos let’s face it, I don’t think anyone’s parents or grandparents really knew what they were doing. I say this half jokingly, but there’s heaps of truth there. We have so many traumas that are just simmering inside, not recognised as such and therefore ignored, causing them to manifest in different ways and illnesses. Trauma and emotional damage doesn’t just go away on its own. It’s there, in our bodies, causing pain. Then there’s the negative self talk due to lack of self esteem most of us experience, due to one reason or another. Bullying etc at school, work. And there you have it. One miserable, trauma filled body, trying desperately to make ends meet in the rat race.I haven’t painted a very nice picture, but as I said, this is just my experience. It could be completely wrong for others 🤷🏼♀️. It’s only from self analysis.1
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When you work for yourself managing time and income is intense. Needing to combat fatigue is vital otherwise concentration levels in your work is hard to maintain.
Finding 30 minutes daily is beneficial
From the BCNA website
"Exercise and staying fit | Breast Cancer Network Australia" https://www.bcna.org.au/health-wellbeing/physical-wellbeing/exercise-and-staying-fit/3 -
From what I have heard (including at a BCNA conference), severe stress is not considered a cause but can definitely be a significant contributing factor. That said, so can other things.
Regarding exercise when you work - nothing out there seems to be available for us but it is important to schedule it in (notice that I said schedule it in not fit it in). I work, run kids around, and live miles from anything and I have really struggled over the past 3 years to find something I can access and maintain. Everything was either impossible or added it's own stress onto me when I'm trying to keep my head above water. I now leave work early twice a week (for as long as I can negotiate it). On those days I go to a local gym with a pool and swim, very badly and very slowly, for 30-40 minutes. I get to school pickup just after the bell goes. At home I have a secondhand treadmill that I use every morning for 30 minutes - I used to try to walk outside but in the summer it conflicts with taking my daughter to swimming and in the winter it is too dark. In the evening I do about 20 minutes of arm and leg weights while I'm watching the news. I may add things on as time goes by but I'm usually pretty happy keeping to a routine and not having to think about it. I give myself permission to have a day off a week or to tone things down if I'm feeling that a particular joint is a bit painful (with Letrozole I seem to injure myself very easily).
As I said, it's taken 3 years to get this happening so that I can make it work with the stuff I have to do. By doing it this way, I've also minimised the problems that can easily derail me - cancelled bookings, waiting for doctor's in cancer exercise clinic, bad weather, etc. Of course, the pool might develop a leak, the treadmill might break down, work might insist I go back to full-time hours... but at the moment, this is me.
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There's a webinar coming up in June (?) about cancer and exercise - I think it's through Cancer Council NSW.2
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After BCV2 In 2016 I'd lost my job and couldn't work. I was also emotionally, physically and financially screwed. Living in Bum Fuck West was not helpful when it comes to finding help for the above conditions.
My breast care nurse got me a 'pity pass' to the closest YMCA. I think that could have saved my life. Unable to afford or access physio, rehab, counselling etc, dragging my sorry arse into the gym a few days a week gave me purpose and helped me heal. I didn't care what I did as long as I could put earplugs in if anyone was yelling at me. It was passively social as well.
COVID, strangely, jettisoned me into back into the full time workforce. I can't get to the gym anymore and haven't had a swim since Feb 2020. I so miss it. My weekly commute is nearly 600 now which doesn't leave much time at either end of the day, hey? So I get up at 4 am, walk myself 8 km then walk The Hound for half an hour.
It's up to her how much time she spends sniffing, pIssing and shitting. Maybe she gets more value from that than walking for the sake of it? I can't apply the same philosophy to my difficult body. She has a better time than I do.
Do the best you can, and don't stop unless you physically can't continue. Walk if you can't run. Whatever you can do is better then nothing. Mxx
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https://youtu.be/CWg90-oOZ3I
