The past couple years have been a testament to the importance of developing greater resilience in our daily lives. With the myriad of daily stressors, people seem unable to process the pain and suffering of the world around us. As a result, these unprocessed emotions can turn into fear, anxiety, and despair – especially for those at higher risk for developing cancer or that have received a cancer diagnosis.
Mindfulness is the journey of befriending ourselves and all our emotions without judgment or resistance. It is natural to feel anger and frustration with so much seemingly out of our control recently. We can begin to feel a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. A mindfulness practice means that we recognize all the thoughts and feelings we are having so we can process and, in turn, release them. Meditation helps us learn to let go of trying to control everything and learn to embrace our journey in its entirety. This means that we understand suffering is an inevitable part of life and we can be more resilient when we are not trying to negate this sorrow.
Through our breath, we are able to open ourselves up to the present moment and move away from the past and fear-based projections into the future. Our minds, if left unmanaged, will play out our worst nightmares over and over again. This increase of stress in the body can cause longer term health issues. Real resilience comes when we awaken to the beauty that lies within us through these practices. The duality of life means there will be suffering and there will be joy. There will be light and there will be darkness. We cannot avoid these situations and pretending they are not happening only causes more pain and anguish internally, whether you are conscious of it or not. Beginning a mindfulness and meditation practice is scientifically proven to help alleviate stress in the body and mind. We are also able to create a place of peace and balance from within that will keep us anchored through the changing tides of life so we can be more resilient.
Hoag offers a monthly podcast and virtual gathering for our metastatic breast cancer community, led by Anusha Wijeyakumar, MA, CPC, E-RYT. Register Now