Shift for Wellness

I can no longer survive on even just five hours of sleep. I need a good 7.5 to 8 hours or I might as well stay home for the day. I count back from the time I need to wake up and take it from there. Good luck and be well. Remember the immortal words of Maya Angelou, "When we know better, we do better."

My life is busy and taxed and stretched and pulled in all directions just like yours. Dates help to center me and remind me of who I am. They remind me of my passions and all that I cherished when it was just me. A time I had long before my diagnosis and when days were simpler.

Maybe you can help someone or yourself SHIFT today to a better place. Tell them something wonderful about themselves. What would you say to yourself?

The truth is there’s a physiological limit to the amount of willpower we each have. Hence, if you try to change too many things at once, you inevitably fail. It’s a scientific reality. Instead, consider the simplicity and elegance of selecting one powerful word.

I know that if I don’t honor my mind and body and stop to rest and be still, my body retaliates big time. It gets me back with respiratory infections, dizzy spells, and horrendous stomach issues. I believe seven years ago my cancer diagnosis was a message for me to stop and slow down.

Reading about your situation online can send you into a panic very quickly. Stick to the experts and listen to your healthcare professionals and keep your spirits high. Don’t clog them with irrelevant rants from the Internet.

One piece often overlooked when one is not well, is the health and wellness of the caregivers. They need just as much TLC because they're burning the candle at both ends.

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. As crazy as it may sound, battling cancer has been the greatest experience of my life. It's like the first line in A Tale of Two Cities, only for me, it was backward. Giggling quietly to myself as I sat across the desk from my oncologist, I thought Holy crow I’m actually going to have chemotherapy. Crazy! It was so weird, so surreal, but I thought, ok let’s get on with it so we can put this all to rest.