Otis Foundation holiday
Something positive. This is a pic of the resort in Port Macquarie, where I was on holiday last week with my daughter and partner. It was for 7 nights, provided by the Otis Foundation. It was absolutely fantastic and exactly what we needed. Prob the best holiday I’ve had in 11 (sadly) years. Very relaxing, beautiful, with lots of activities to do when we wanted to. I found out about the Otis Foundation through this site, so I’m hoping others will also follow suit and sign themselves up for this well-deserved free treat 😊. I signed myself up in early May, and was told I’d have to wait a while due to Covid, but got dates in early November, which was perfect timing after a couple months post radio. So check it out ladies, and hope to see your own holiday pics soon 😁👌🏻♥️ Otis Foundation
Online support for Regional WA.
Hi all, just wanted to share this link for a free online wellbeing and exercise course which starts tomorrow afternoon . It’s run by the Cancer Council for Regional WA. I’ve signed up. Might see you there xxx https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/living-well-with-exercise-and-mindfulness-registration-110067827836
Beautiful songs/singing to lighten your day
I've just found this amazing Father & Daughter Duo who are doing the most gorgeous DUets of popular songs The Prayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0 Their other songs together: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR_SOhBL-5BSaIuqhj1U18g Feel free to add your own songs/videos
Concerned
Hi ladies I have a general question for you, I have been told that even though I am almost 2 years past diagnosis, that I am still compromised... I am on Arimadex, and also my 2 year check up and has been bought forward as I have found another lump in my unaffected breast.. does anyone know if this is correct Thanks.
Breathing Techniques for Anxiety
Hi everyone In addition to the popular "take a deep breath" advice, thought I'd add some specific breathing techniques that can help you try and manage anxiety in the really stressful situations. I am not a doctor and if any of these exercises make you feel light-headed, stop immediately. For practising purposes, try them sitting upright. But they can be used in any position when anxiety starts to take over. Box Breathing Inhale for a count of 4 Hold for a count of 4 Exhale for a count of 4 Hold for a count of 4 Repeat Easy to remember because of the 4 x 4 x 4. 4 - 2 - 6 Inhale for a count of 4 Hold for a count of 2 Exhale for a count of 6 Repeat I found this one so useful when they were putting in the guide wire before surgery There is a longer version of this called 4 - 7- 8. But I struggle to hold my breath for 7 counts and exhale for such a long time. Nasal control Hold your finger against one nostril. Breathe in deeply. Switch your finger and hold against the other nostril. Breathe out fully. Repeat. When you get the idea of this, you don't have to physically hold a nostril. You can just visualise it. General info Something I have learned is that when people start to hyperventilate and say they can't breathe, they can't get air, they are actually over-breathing and taking in too much air. They end up taking short sharp breaths in and don't exhale. So if you can, remember to BREATHE OUT! If you can force yourself to expel as much air as possible from your body, your instincts kick in and you will have to take a deep breath in to compensate. If you can repeat the deep breathing a few times, you will find physiologically your body will start to stabilise - although you will still feel the panic in your mind. Concentrating on your breath and counting are about the only things that we can do in the present moment. Everything else in your mind is generally rehashing something that's happened in the past or worrying about something that might happen in the future. Breathing is right here, right now so focusing on how it feels to breathe, the sensation of air going in and out of your nose, lungs, mouth keeps you grounded and helps temporarily blocking out other distractions. Happy breathing!Try this app
I've been using an app called "Insight" for about 2 years now. It's free and available on iTunes and Google Play/android. It's a meditation/relaxation app. It has thousands of recordings covering a wide range of areas. It has new ones added every day. There are topics like sleep, stress, anxiety, relax, pain, mindfulness, motivation and spirituality. There are music only recordings, nature sounds and chanting. I have found the Yoga Nidra for sleep really helpful. There are also podcast type discussions. The recordings can be anywhere from 1 minute awareness of breath to 90 minutes of deep sleep meditation. Just a suggestion. You may find it useful or at least something new to listen to as a distraction.Happiness? What's that?
I've been in therapy for many years (about 26 years on and off) for complex PTSD. I've tried talking, Gestalt, CBT, medication and I've even had Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). The one that has worked best for me is DBT - Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. But it's hard and complex and I practice it every day. I've read many self help books, some wishy washy and some hard core text books. The one I read a couple of years ago that actually made sense and gave me lots of "a-ha!" moments was The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris. It's based on ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which kind of dovetails nicely into DBT. They don't contradict each other the way CBT and DBT can. It's written in a way that's easy to understand and explains why our minds work they way they do. It describes various happiness myths and how we get so caught up in them. It's not a cancer survivor specific book but I think there is a lot of transferable information in there. It's written in a very conversational way and has lots of activities. And it doesn't promise a happily ever after. It take the very sensible approach of try, fail, try, fail, try again, fail again, try one more time.... After reading a lot of comments here, I get that sense that a lot of people are asking, what now? What next? How do I move forward? Why can't I go back to my old life? Why am I stuck with a body that is barely holding together and doesn't work like it should? What this book is advocating is looking at your life and working out what are your values? How do you live a life that's consistent with those values? I think for a lot of us, having such an earth shattering disease that has completely disrupted a life that was going along just fine thank you very much, has thrown everything into chaos and turmoil. So what do we do to just get through the next day, hour, minute? And for me, like I didn't have enough physical and mental health problems already....sure chuck some bc in there as well, why the hell not?? It's not like my other issues make it hard enough to just get out of bed. I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone going through active treatment. Just keep your head down and plough through. But for those now in the "survivor" mode, perhaps this is something you might want to take a look at. The book is available in council libraries. Dr Harris also has a website with some free resources on it. https://thehappinesstrap.com/ https://thehappinesstrap.com/free-resources/ Here's an excerpt from the book. https://www.actmindfully.com.au/upimages/The_Happiness_Trap_-_Introduction_and_Chapter_one.pdf He also has lots of short and long videos on YouTube if you search on his name. Has anyone else come across any other books they would recommend?
Counterpart
I attended a Cancer and Wellbeing day run by Counterpart this week. We did Feldenkrais, some light aerobics and theraband work, Qi Gong and a fantastic deep meditation. There was a very good lunch and lots of time to chat and connect with the other participants. For Melbourne and Victorian folks (they're running a wellness day in Gippsland later this month), if you haven't heard of Counterpart check them out. They do all sorts of workshops and seminars. The events I've attended have always been very well run and they are free. Their new calender is coming out soon but there are also several events on in the rest of April. https://www.counterpart.org.au
Jigsaw puzzles
I don't know why my physio didn't suggest it to me earlier but I have stumbled upon jigsaw puzzles for therapy. The repetitive movements of sorting pieces has done my lymphedema arm the world of good. Sitting around with not a lot of energy is boring and I put on movies to watch but I still like to be doing something to keep my mind and body active. Some knit or crochet, I do puzzles. :)
