Where to Begin: Mantras for Navigating a Cancer Diagnosis 

When I first received my diagnosis, my life flashed before my eyes. I felt very fragile, terrified, and lost.That future I envisioned for myself and my family suddenly dissolved into uncertainty.  For the first time, I truly understood that the time we have on this planet is not guaranteed - and that every moment is precious.

 

As the initial shock settled, I found myself searching for ways to take back some sense of control and agency. A cancer diagnosis shock and dust settled, I found myself on a path toward exploring how to take some control back from cancer and change my life and habits. 

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The cancer patient experience feels like working on a puzzle without knowing the final picture - you're given one piece at a time. Here are some of the pieces, wisdoms, mantras, phrases, and ideas that have supported me and helped me navigate. 

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1. Focus on What Truly Matters. When everything is stripped away, clarity emerges. Pay attention to what makes your heart feel full - what brings you joy, meaning, and alignment with your core values. Let that guide where you place your energy.

2. Feel it to heal it. Allow yourself to feel everything - fear, anger, grief, guilt. Emotions don't follow a timeline or linear path, and they may resurface when you least expect it. Let them move through you. Support from a therapist, counselor, or spiritual guide can help you process without becoming overwhelmed so you can focus on healing. 

3. ​Practice Grounded Gratitude: Look down with compassion, back with forgiveness, up with gratitude and forward with hope. Even in the hardest moments, there can still be small points of light. Gratitude doesn't erase pain, but it can coexist with it. Start small - write down one thing each day. Sometimes it's as simple as the sun rising or a moment of comfort. 

4. Ask For Help (And Accept It): You didn't choose this race, but you don't have to run it alone. Let people show up for you - meals, rides, childcare, encouragement. Asking and receiving help isn't weakness; it's courage. 

5. Movement is medicine. Move when you can. On good days and bad days, listen to your body and do what you can. Even small movement can support both physical and emotional well-being. 

• Just enough light for the step that you’re on. Be where your feet are. One step at a time, one day at a time. If you worry about tomorrow today, you live through the anxiety twice and you aren't present for today's beauty. Leave tomorrow up to tomorrow. I can only see what’s right in front of me, and I can’t even fathom the way that this story is unfolding down the road and all the pieces that are moving into place to provide support.

• Find and listen to your intuition by listening to yourself and your inner whispers. You know yourself the best. If you hear that inner critic, speak to them lovingly like a little child or dear loved one and ask them to leave or be silent. Your inner dialogue is incredibly powerful since it’s the one you hear the most. What are the messages that you’ve been telling yourself? Would counseling, trauma therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy resolve old issues, unlearn preconceived or inherited ideas?

• Find your guides and listen to those that you trust. Listen to yourself first and make sure that any other voices that you pick to listen to are credible, have your best interest at heart, and are telling you positive encouraging messages. Positive phrases that I’ve heard or read from family, friends, healers, fitness instructors, podcasts, books, meditations or affirmations pop up in my mind and keep me going.​

• Horses run with blinders, you should to. Comparison is the thief of joy. Stay in your own lane, let others live in their lane, and give the rest up to the divine. We are all facing our own struggles, and it's hard to not resent those who aren't facing cancer. We all go through difficult times and you never know what someone is privately facing. Try not to compare struggles. Every person’s cancer fight is different. There are so many factors that make up cancer; age, stage, tumor profile, hormone status, genetic mutation, family structure, support network, geography, environment, finances, life stressors. Just because a friend has a similar tumor, had the same treatment, and then had a relapse does not mean that you will follow that same path. Control what you can control, and learn from others, but don’t try to keep up. There is only one you. 

• Protect your peace. Put your world in Do Not Disturb Mode. Fiercely control your space. Think of all the notifications and interruptions and “emergencies” we are bombarded with everyday. Select what music, news media, social media, people and things you come in contact with. Avoid stressful energies and toxic interruptions. Invite only supportive positive people into your home, and get rid of things that don’t bring you joy. Choose what you take into your mouth, ears, eyes, and what you touch so that you are vibrating at your own healing energy frequency mentally, physically and emotionally. While we don’t have the luxury to curate everything in our life, you can start small. Find one little corner of your home space and create a peaceful sanctuary with calming things you can touch, see, and hear. 

• Self-care is not selfish! Set boundaries to put yourself first. Take 10 minutes every day to journal, recite an affirmation, listen to a meditation, close your eyes and be with the silence. Naps are are self-love. Discipline and boundaries are forms of self-love. Commit to you. 

• Boost your body’s own miraculous mechanisms of health. Revamp your routine - mind, body and spirit to enable your body to do its best job. I know it may seem that your body let you down, but remember that your body wants to live and naturally fights cancer (in addition to a myriad of life sustaining functions) without you even knowing it everyday. 

• Do It Afraid. In other words, “Just do it!” God (the Divine) will bless the try. Trust your intuition and just do it. Do it afraid, but do it. You will never know unless you try. Take that leap and try your best. If it doesn’t work, try something else. 

• Not a single one of us has an expiration date printed on us. I have performed thousands of full body skin examinations, but I have never seen an expiration date on someone’s skin. Yes, our bodies will break down and one day we will die. We don't know when our last breath will be, and that is further motivation to embrace the moments that you have and live life to the fullest. But also remember that you are more than your prognosis. If a provider gives you odds like a 1% chance of 5 year survival, then do it your way and be that 1%. If you are given weeks, take months. There has never been anyone like you in the world fighting cancer at this moment in time, and medicine is rapidly changing. Be realistically optimistic and determined. 

• Cancer will change you. This may be shocking to hear. Some of these changes will be temporary and some permanent. You might not like some changes and you might wish you could have your pre-cancer reality back. Some changes you may enjoy. However, this is your chance. Your life is drastically changing, so be the creator of the masterpiece that is your life. Do not let anything or anyone hold you back, especially cancer.