In times rife with uncertainty and fear, maintaining a balanced perspective and identifying elements within our control becomes paramount.
Often, this list might seem limited, boiling down to our thoughts and reactions. Yet, its power is immense.
Especially in scenarios like a pandemic, the feeling of powerlessness over life's unfolding events is accentuated. For breast cancer survivors, however, this is a familiar territory.
They've navigated life's tumultuous storms, mastering the art of adapting to change and preserving their sanity amidst chaos.
In this episode, we delve into eight actionable steps to embrace during rapidly changing times. These strategies aim to bolster your well-being, strengthen community ties, and potentially pave the way for a brighter, enriched future. Join us on this journey of resilience and empowerment.
Read the transcript:
0:00
This is Laura Lummer, the breast cancer recovery coach. I'm a healthy lifestyle coach, a clinical Ayurveda specialist, a personal trainer, and I'm also a breast cancer survivor. In this podcast, we talk about healthy thinking and mindfulness practices, eating well, moving your body for health and longevity. And we'll also hear from other breast cancer survivors who have reengaged with life, and have incredible stories to share. This podcast is your go to resource for getting back to life after breast cancer.
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Hello, and welcome to episode 80 of the breast cancer recovery coach podcast. You know, while I feel like at seems like so many and at the same time, it feels like I've been doing this podcast for so long that there should be more. But I'm excited it's at we're approaching the big goal of 100 coming up soon. And I'm just so happy that you're here with me. So I am your host, Laura Lummer. And, you know, today, of course is a day that I can't go into the show without acknowledging the state that we are in as a society as a world at the time of this recording in the first week of the pretty much shut down across everywhere across the United States and the world globally. And that definitely includes me where I live here in Orange County in Southern California. So there's a lot of fear. And there's an incredible amount of uncertainty out there right now. And each day as I speak with my husband and my kids, I hear myself saying more than ever, I don't know. And it's I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how long this will last. I don't know the financial impact that there's going to be. And I mean, I just don't know, nobody knows, right? The interesting thing, though, about being in this place of living in the unknown, is that it's really no different than any other point in life. We never know what's coming. But we convince ourselves that we do when all things are running routinely, right, it seems perfectly reasonable to predict the amount that your paycheck is going to be when you go to work every day. And that's perfectly rational. But here we are now with this disruption happening all around us. And the unpredictability of life is staring us in the face. Does that sound familiar? It should, because it's very similar to our experience of having had breast cancer, right, one day, everything is status quo. And we think we know what's coming. And then the next day, bam, it's a different life, filled with uncertainty filled with isolation. You've been here, girl, you may still be there now. And even though we know that that's pretty much how life works, we as humans, we like stability, and we like certainty. And we like it for a good reason. Because it's comfortable. And we like comfort because comfort is good. So here we are, in a circumstance that's not comfortable. It's very uncomfortable. And in addition to being uncomfortable, it's full of fear. And when any human being is fearful, we become defensive. We want to protect what's ours and kind of stake our claim in the world. We want to make sure that things are as safe as can be. So we do things to to increase our feelings of safety. Like, I don't know, hoarding, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer apparently are two of those things. But you know what, it actually makes a little bit of sense when you think about it. So for anyone who has taken psychology 101 I'm sure you're familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. And I'll post a link to it in the show notes in case you're not there. Basically, Abraham Maslow was a psychologist whose theory was, we have to take care of our basic needs. We need our basic needs before we can move on to other things like working on our self esteem or working on self actualization. So here you are, you're going along, you're listening to the breast cancer recovery coach podcast, you're trying to focus on constructive and positive ways of living and getting back to life and you're getting all self actualized. And bam, this rug gets yanked out from under you. Your basic needs just get ganked away. Maybe you or a loved one gets sent home from work, or relieved from work entirely. There's this virus raging through the world that we don't understand and it's threatening people's lives. And were ordered to be socially distant. Maybe if you have children, your kids have gotten sent home from school and now you're a mama and you have to be a teacher as well homeschooling kids navigating work navigating life, in a pandemic without playdates and if your grandma Do you want to have grandma time like me, and you can't have it because our little ones are little germ bags. And we're in high risk categories, maybe with a suppressed immune system, depending on how far out of treatment you are, maybe just because of the age group or other underlying comorbidities, or medications that you're on. And so that's not cool. We don't like that feeling. So it feels like things are chaotic and beyond your control. And I feel you because I'm in the same boat, we are all in the same boat. And so I'm going to confidently tell you that the worst thing you could do right now is to get caught up in the fear and the drama. Now, I'm pretty sure I've said this quote on the podcast before, but I'm going to say it again. Now. Pain is inevitable, that suffering is optional. And we can take steps to take charge of the things we have control over and reduce the amount of suffering we're putting ourselves through. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, and psychologist said that between stimulus and response, there is a space in that space is our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom. So what the hell does that mean, right? Well, it means that we can't control the stimulus, like a pandemic, or like a breast cancer diagnosis, but we can change the way we react to it. And in that choice, the choice of your reaction is the key to growth and the difference between suffering through this and making the best of it. So how do you do that? How do we do this? Well, the first objection that I hear and that I've heard since I began working with clients, is I don't have time, right? Even before I hear from someone, I can't afford it. I hear I don't have time, we're so busy all the time, we're going and we're looking for places to go and we're filling up our time with busyness. Or we just don't make time for ourselves because we feel like we're supposed to be busy. But now what's happening? We have time, or a lot of us do if you're not in the healthcare industry. So how do you use this time to stay constructive? To stay away from getting absorbed and all of the fear and the drama? How do you use it to stay calm? Instead of getting caught up in the news and freaking out? How do you use it to address your financial situation, if that's a concern that this pandemic has created, these are all very real things, and they have an impact on our stress level. And that stress affects our immunity, which we want to protect, especially right now. So let's break down some things beginning with what you can actually take charge of what you actually have control over. And that is the way that you think and react as we just talked about, and how you can take advantage of resources that are available to you. So I'm going to give you eight tips on things you can do to support your wellness, as we're all struggling through this very challenging time. Number one, keep moving your body. Take walks swim, run, if you're not under a Shelter In Place Order. Or if you don't have a regular exercise program, this is the perfect time to find something you enjoy doing. And to create a schedule around it. You can check out YouTube for any workout, you can think of yoga, barre, Pilates bodyweight exercises, Zumba, they're all on there. One of my mentors and a renderer has a ton of workouts on Pop Sugar that you can take advantage of. And you can also find videos that will teach you some new dance moves. And if you have little ones at home, this is a perfect way to help them burn off some excess energy while you improve your mood. While you all improve your mood, right? When you're sitting around with pent up energy, things tend to get a little cranky, or people's patients tend to wear that. And so you may be thinking like seriously, we have all this going on. And the thing you start with is telling me to move my body. And yes, I tell you that and I tell you that first of all, not because it's just some random common thing. That's easy to say. But it's so important. It's important to support your immunity. It's important to support your sanity and it's just important for the overall well being and functioning of your mind and body especially during stressful times. So again, we'll go back to that number one objection I hear I don't have time to move my body. I don't have time to go for walks to try out yoga to try out something new. Well now you have time. So use it use it to your benefit use it to see how good you can actually feel by moving your body every day number to body work. So what I mean by that is massage. Myofascial Release. Massage is a huge stress reliever. It's a physical therapy, it's very therapeutic. And you can use this time to exchange massages with the loved ones in your home, not only help you to be more connected to each other, but to help you to feel better and relieve stress. If you don't have someone else in your home, look up self myofascial release, and you can check the show notes Laura lummer.com, forward slash 80. For links that I will post where you can find advice on how to do myofacial release. And you will be surprised at the amount of tension and emotion that you store in your body and tau bodywork massage myofascial release can bring relief not only to physical stiffness and soreness, but also just to relieving those pent up emotions and reducing the amount of stress you're under. Number three, keep your mind busy. It is so easy to get sucked into the continual news updates. But let me suggest that you limit the amount of time you spend on the news to just specific times during the day. Do what you need to do to help yourself feel comfortable that you have the amount of information that you need. So you know what you need to know to keep yourself safe and to feel like you're informed without allowing it to consume your day. Other ideas of things you can do with your mind throughout the day, download a book you've been wanting to read, check out a new author, or download an audiobook and listen to it while you clean out the closet and the drawers that have been needing attention for ever. You know, I am a huge audible book fan. I listen to audiobooks all the time, because it allows me to be productive to cook to clean to whatever, while I'm still informing myself listening to books or just hearing a great story. So I highly suggest doing that. And at the time of this recording, we all have at least another week at minimum of social distancing, according to what's going on in the world. So here's another idea. start a book club with some friends. You can FaceTime each other to talk about the chapters in the book, you can open a free account on Zoom, Zo M and I'll post a link to that in the show notes too. And regardless of the type of phone people have, you can have a free account on Zoom where you can get up to 100 people together, you can all see each other's faces, you can all hear each other. And you can talk about the book, you can share readings, and you can still feel like you're staying connected to each other. And speaking of zoom, and FaceTime brings me to tip number four, which is community. We are very social creatures, and we need community. And now more than ever, that's important. So really use technology to keep you connected. And to help you unwind. Think about this would have you scheduled a zoom wine night, get all the girls online, open a bottle and talk about your day, really stay connected, see each other and realize that you're not alone. Check in on your neighbors or bake something and drop it off on their doorstep with a little note or knock and head back to your six foot safety distance space. It's really important to show each other right now that we care, and that we're all having a shared experience. While we're staying safe and following CDC guidelines. Number five, invest some time in your passion. So do you have a hobby that there's never enough time for? Had you been wanting to start a business or a podcast or learn something new that you haven't had the time to even look into? Now's the time. Really lean into this space and use it to enrich yourself and your life rather than to completely withdraw, letting life pass you by and letting fear take over. There are so many online courses you can learn anything online from reliable resources to resources I highly recommend that are super interesting, masterclass and great courses both are taught by experienced talented educated instructors and you would be amazed at how many different things there are to learn out there. So learn something new use this time to enrich your life. Number six, get your nutrition in order. So Have you been lying to clean up your diet, this is the perfect time to figure out how to do food prep, how to get it on your calendar, or maybe how to try something new. Rather than eating all the comfort food that people have stocked up in their pantries right now. Maybe try intermittent fasting to see what that's really like. Maybe try a new plant based recipe. Grocery stores are restocking continuously. And if you're concerned about going out delivery services are abounding right now. So try something like Instacart or Postmates. Or look into services that around you that can get you ingredients if you need them to try something new, but cook something and check out something different. And really tune in to where your nutrition is at how you can make it better and what you're open to trying. Tip number seven, spend some time in silence and in nature. This is the time to wake up a little earlier, to begin a practice of breath work or a mindful meditation. Invest this time in protecting yourself from stress and reducing anxiety levels. If you can go outside, if it's okay, where you live, get some fresh air, see some plant life, connect to the things that are beautiful, and bring you peace, do some gardening report some of your indoor plants, spending time in silence and nature is incredibly grounding and healing. So try to get out of the house if it's legally okay for you to do so. Number eight, take control of your finances. Now I know this is a very scary thing. For many of us right now, myself, my husband is a business coach, this entire week has been full of changes. And there's some scary stuff going on. But there are still things we can control. And there are things we can do about that. So first of all, getting your finances in order. And you probably have a tool use for your budget, I use YNAB, which is literally why and a B, it's a website, it's an online resource, I think it's a really cool one, I have all my kids that use it. And so getting your money in order so that you feel comfortable with where you're at. And if finances are a concern that this pandemic has caused, check out your local city and county websites to see what resources they're offering that might be able to support you. There are so many programs getting rolled out right now guys, because again, we're all in this together. This is a worldwide thing. Credit card companies, mortgage companies, all kinds of lenders are making arrangements with their customers to be able to support them financially right now. So if you're concerned, make some phone calls, take this time, get on the phone, make the calls to your people, there's a lot of help available, okay. And I understand that financial concerns can undermine wellness on every conceivable level, it can cause a tremendous amount of stress. So I think this is a really important tip, and take this time to get this part of your life in order. So you feel supported and you feel secure. Take advantage of temporary income opportunities that are coming up as a result of the pandemic. Many grocery stores are looking for extra help to keep the shelves stocked. Amazon is looking for 100,000 people to help support the flood of online orders that are coming in. So they're looking for people who can work at fulfillment centers as well as people who can make deliveries. So Google into that find some information. And I'll post a link to that too. There's an app called Amazon flex, which is the first step people can take to doing something like that. Another option is to create your own course. Are you someone who keep it out of the house right now? Are you in a higher risk category, but you have a talent, or you're an expert in a field that other people are interested in and can find value in? Do you have a way to keep other people's children busy virtually while they're stuck at home. There's so many simple ways to get your offer out there and support others while you're supporting your income. Look at websites like teachable and Kajabi they have incredibly easy platforms and tons of support to get you up and running quickly. You can have a course up literally by the end of the week, if not sooner, if you have something to put out in the world and to offer so really tap into your talents right now and use technology to support you. I could go on with solutions and options that are out there for ever. But I think that this is a good start. If you have questions or you want more information on any of these areas, reach out to me on Facebook. I am here to support you. And speaking of Facebook, I will be posting daily tips to help get us through this pandemic while supporting our mental and physical well being. So if you don't follow my page, come and find me at Laura Lummer, the breast cancer recovery coach, or join the breast cancer recovery group for even more community support. The other night, we did a live guided meditation in the group. And you can still see that recording there on the page, if that's something you're interested in. Now, it may sound like a broken record. But the truth is, we are all in this together like the entire world. And we're stronger together if we support each other. So let's not allow this situation to distance us any more than we physically have to. And I want to assure you that I am here to support this community, and I will show up for you. So subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss anything. Find me on social media, reach out, ask your questions. I would love to hear if you take advantage of any of these tips, or what you're already doing, to make the best of this very challenging time, and your insights and your ideas and your creativity and your inspiration, help others to step up to, it's important to see how you're leaning into life while you're keeping yourself safe and well. So remember to come on over to the show notes, Laura lummer.com, forward slash 80, where you can find all of the links to resources that I've talked about here on this podcast. If you have specific questions in any of these tips, I am happy to answer them for you and to support you. So thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this show today. Just keep taking care of yourself be well. Remember that this is just a temporary situation. The good thing about things even when they're sucky is that everything changes and this too will change. But if we support each other as we're going through it together, it can be a lot less painful and there can be a lot less suffering. All right, be good to yourself, stay well and stay safe and I'll talk to you again next week.
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In your head, you've put your courage to the test laid all your doubts your mind is clearer than before your heart is full and wanting more your futures Give it all you know has you been waiting
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this is your
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