Taking care of yourself if you’re diagnosed
A breast cancer diagnosis is scary, stressful, and can take a serious toll on your well-being. But in order to ensure your treatment is as effective as possible, you’ll want to take extra care of yourself. In addition to the treatment plan established by your medical team, you can manage your overall wellness with some simple lifestyle adjustments.
- If you don’t already eat a diet high in nutritious fruits and vegetables, now is a good time to start. Eating well can help give your immune system a leg up, plus it’s fun to cook with new ingredients! Try adding some of these powerhouse immune-boosting foods to your meals.
- Stay as active as you can. Cancer treatments, not to mention the disease itself, can sap you of your energy and make it hard to stay fit. But physical fitness is so important to overall health! The key to staying active is finding an exercise routine that works for you at your current ability level. Try lower-impact exercises like walking, yoga, or swimming.
- A breast cancer diagnosis is not just a physical battle, but a mental one as well. Your mental health can have a huge impact on your treatment. So take time to understand and respect your thoughts, emotions, and reactions as you go through this process. Prioritize your mental well-being by letting go of the things in your life that aren’t serving you—heavy feelings, negative thoughts, maybe even negative people.
- Explore meditation and mindfulness. In addition to exercise, meditation can have powerful, positive benefits on both your mental and physical wellbeing. Meditation can help with stress management, and can also give you tools for processing difficult emotions and situations as they arise.
- Take time to celebrate yourself. You’re an amazing, strong, and incredible person, and you deserve to treat yourself! A celebration of self looks different for everyone, so choose something that’s meaningful and feels right for you.
