anxiety – Tammy Gunn

When Healing Feels Heavy: My Life with Lymphedema

By tammyg | November 4, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

Nobody warned me that surviving cancer came with bonus features…

Scars? Expected.

Fatigue? Sure.

Random swelling that makes me feel like I have arm-wrestled the Pillsbury Doughboy and lost? Yeah, that one was not in the brochure.

Welcome to life with lymphedema! The unwanted gift that keeps on giving!

When I woke up after my bilateral mastectomy, I was greeted with the news that the surgeon had to take many of my lymph nodes from my right arm pit because they tested positive for cancer. I knew this might happen but on the day of surgery they still were not clear if they would need to. I had my mind set that they wouldn’t need to so this was a blow to my emotional state when they told me. What it now meant was my lymph system used to move fluid around efficiently. Now it’s like, “Nope, I’m out. You handle it.” The result? One arm (and sometimes armpit) that swells, tightens, and throbs like one of those neon lights flickering in a window.

What It Feels Like (Spoiler: Not a Spa Day)

Imagine wearing an invisible blood-pressure cuff that never quite releases. Add in a pinch of heaviness, a dash of tingling, and the occasional “did-someone-stuff-a-tennis-ball-under-my-skin?” sensation. That’s lymphedema.

Most mornings, I wake up and my arm looks fine… almost normal. Other days, it feels like it’s been filled with wet sand overnight. If I lift it too long or skip my sleeve, I swear I can hear it puff up like a balloon. You may not be able to see it because my arm so far doesn’t swell up as bad as many others do but I can feel it and it feels huge and uncomfortable.

Oh, and don’t get me started on how weather affects it. Humid days? Forget it. My arm swells faster than my hair in a rainstorm.

How I Deal with It (and Try Not to Lose My Mind)

Let’s get one thing straight: lymphedema isn’t something you cure. It’s something you manage …like a grumpy roommate who refuses to move out. But I’ve learned a few tricks to keep the peace.

Compression Garments: My Not-So-Sexy Armor

Yes, I wear a compression sleeve. Sometimes a bra that feels like it was engineered by NASA. They’re not glamorous, but they work. You get used to it. Think of them like Spanx for your lymph system. Juzo.com has some of the most beautiful tattoo style prints that make compression sleeves a thing of fashion!

I’ve learned to pick fun colors and pretend like I’m auditioning for a superhero reboot: “Lympha-Woman: Defender of Circulation!”

Massage and Manual Drainage

There’s a fancy name for it — Manual Lymphatic Drainage — which sounds like a plumbing service. But it’s basically gentle self-massage to help move fluid. I do it daily, whispering encouraging things to my arm like, “Come on, girl, let’s get things flowing. You can do it!”

Movement That Doesn’t Make Me Swear

Exercise helps but not the “crush-it” kind. Think Zumba, walking, stretching, yoga, and anything that keeps the lymph fluid moving without overdoing it.
I’ve learned the hard way that pushing too far means puffing up later. So now I stop before my arm throws a tantrum.

Hydration (and Fewer Salty Snacks, Sigh)

Turns out the more water I drink, the less my arm swells. Wild, right? I also try to limit salt and sugar. This is a tough one because I love a good salty snack!
But I’ll be real… if it’s movie night and there’s popcorn; I’m not measuring sodium content. I’ll just wear my sleeve, deal with the swelling and call it balance.

Skin Care Is Non-Negotiable

Because my lymph system’s lazy, any cut or bug bite could turn into an infection. So, I baby my skin like it’s royalty. I never was one to be great at skincare before but now I am obsessed with moisturizer, gentle soap, and clean towels. Basically, I treat my arm and all of my skin better than anything.

Rest and Elevation

Sometimes the best thing I can do is lie down and prop my arm up like it’s living its best queen life. It’s not glamorous, but hey, if my arm wants to relax on a pillow throne, so be it. It helps!

The Mental Weight No One Talks About

Physically, lymphedema is uncomfortable. But emotionally? It’s exhausting. It’s a daily reminder that even though I “beat cancer,” my body still carries the baggage. There are days I look at my swollen arm and think, Seriously? Haven’t we been through enough?

Then there are days I marvel at what my body still can do. It’s carried me through chemo, surgery, radiation, and now, this. It’s a little swollen, a little stubborn, but still showing up. Kind of like me!

I’ve learned to laugh about it when I can. I even gave my swollen side a nickname: The Diva. She acts up when I’m stressed, hates humidity, and demands attention. But when I care for her, she usually settles down.

What I Want Others to Know

If you’re dealing with lymphedema or love someone who is, know that this condition is both invisible and relentless. It’s not “just swelling.” It’s physical discomfort, body image frustration, and a lifelong maintenance plan. But it’s also survivorship. It’s resilience with a side of sarcasm.

And here’s the thing: I may have to manage this forever, but I refuse to let it manage me.

I dance. I write. I live. Some days I do it with grace; other days I do it with a swollen armpit and a bad attitude. But I do it! And that’s what matters.

My Final thought: Healing isn’t about looking perfect. It’s about learning to live fully even when one arm needs a little extra TLC and a custom sleeve.

When you see me out dancing with my compression gear on, don’t pity me. Just know I’m moving, sweating, and still very much living through the swell.

It is not easy. But it is do-able!

Wait!! Can You Break a Boob?

By tammyg | October 7, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

This month marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month…as a survivor, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is really every month of the year. I do have moments now where I forget what I went through and that usually only lasts a few minutes, maybe an hour. Honestly, this is because the scars I have cannot be unseen. For this month, I wanted to share one chapter from my book Dancing Through Diagnosis. What more fitting than the night my life changed…

Chapter 1

OH HELLO-THAT’S NEW

July 7th, 2021

“Pour me a glass of wine. I will be right down. Just got
to shower!” I holler while shutting down my laptop and
running upstairs.
It was a Wednesday night and like every Wednesday
night before it, during the pandemic I was teaching an
online Zumba class followed by a yummy dinner with a
glass of wine and a movie with my husband. Even through
the pandemic I had continued to teach hot, sweaty, dance
your heart out Zumba classes, albeit online. But still going
strong five days a week!

After a decade plus of dancing five to six days a week
easily doing anywhere from four to seven hours a day, I
still cannot get enough! Not even a pandemic can stop me
from shaking what my momma gave me!
Only this night would change the trajectory of
everything; simply by towelling off after a shower.
“What is that?” I said to myself… or maybe out loud.
Probably out loud and it was more like “WTH?!”
As my towel brushed past the bottom of my right
breast, I couldn’t help noticing that something didn’t feel
right. Broken glass? It felt like broken glass. Is that possible?
Could I have broken my boob? Can you break a boob?

My mind began to swirl toward real questions then to
ones that were clearly insane and made no sense… and yet,
I asked them out loud… to myself… in the mirror.
Is this one bigger than the left?
It’s not itchy… should it be itchy?
Will lotion smooth out those glassy edges?
Nope… what is that??
Quickly, I finished drying off and got dressed. My mind
was still racing. In that moment, I KNEW something wasn’t
right, but it couldn’t be what my brain was now racing at
full speed ahead to… the C word. Noooooo…. I am way too
young for that!
No, you’re not. Forty-four is not too young.
Thanks brain! You always know how to make a girl feel
good and calm!
I ran downstairs to find my husband scrolling through
Netflix looking for our movie of the night.
“Give me your hand!” I said as I ran toward him with
great concern.
He gave me his hand and before he knew it, he was in
full doctor mode (and not the fun kind) feeling my breast.
“Do you feel that?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I am not a doctor, Tammy. You should get that checked.”
“Right?! I should. That is not normal right?”
“I think you need to get it checked.” He repeated the
words and continued to scroll through Netflix with his
other hand.
I needed him to feel what I felt and confirm for me
that I was not losing my mind. And that it needed to be
checked, even though he had already said it twice. I felt
like I couldn’t trust myself anymore because my brain was
already hurtling me into a coffin by tomorrow.

I was at the beginning of a mental hurricane that whips
its way through any rational thinking and had begun
planning my funeral.
Does this ever happen to you?
The brain takes over all common sense and suddenly
you are making mental lists of who gets what when you
die and wishing you hadn’t been so crazy when you were
younger. Of wanting to take back so much of what you had
done but, in all honesty, it got you to where you are today.
And beside the broken boob and needing a doctor, you
think your life has actually been pretty awesome. Just not
at the moment because you still have a broken boob….
Please tell me I am not alone in this!
That night, I called and left a message for my doctor.
The real one… The one who could help. Because with
Google only a click away, I would be making my own full
diagnosis if I couldn’t reach my REAL doctor soon!
The next day I did speak to my doctor, thankfully,
because my brain was still on fast forward. And my doctor
knows me well enough to know that if I am calling like this,
I am in panic mode about something.
Yup, everything felt like it was moving at the speed of
light and yet at a turtle’s speed to get answers!

That night changed everything in my life. Any cancer patient can tell you when and how they discovered it. I wrote Dancing Through Diagnosis for all those on the journey and those supporting family and friends on the journey because I think we need to get really real about what this experience is like and learn about all we don’t know about going through cancer. I never thought in a million years it would be me writing about this, but here we are! And maybe it had to be me so that the medical jargon gets left out. And maybe because I love to write in real talk with a sense of humor and that is what the world needs right now.

On Amazon the readers find the content inspiring, encouraging, and hopeful. They appreciate the humor, saying it’s witty and playful. Readers describe the book as an excellent read for patients, caregivers, and those facing challenging times. They find the writing style engaging, tender, witty, and clear. They also describe the story as authentic and an emotional journey that deepens empathy.

I guess it is true then if you read it on Amazon! 😉 All joking aside, I have seen how this book has positively impacted those who have read it. I hope you will too and share it with your family and friends.

Links to purchase Dancing Through Diagnosis: CLICK HERE for Canada

CLICK HERE for USA

The Biggest Challenge I Danced Through was Not Breast Cancer…

By tammyg | September 10, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

One of the biggest adjustments in my life after cancer is not the cancer itself surprisingly but the lymphedema in my right arm from having my lymph nodes removed

Let us refresh on what exactly is Lymphedema?

Think of lymphedema like this:

The lymphatic system is basically the body’s sewer system. While we go about our day it is quietly whisking away excess fluid, waste, bacteria and viruses. When it’s working properly, we don’t notice it at all. In fact, I didn’t even understand it existed at all until I had part of it removed! When it’s not working… well, imagine our sink drain is clogged up with hair or food or something else nasty. The water (in this case, lymph fluid) has nowhere to go, so it starts pooling where it shouldn’t.

That’s lymphedema! A stubborn, unwanted pooling of fluid under your skin. Your limb puffs up like it’s a balloon-animal, but instead of being a cute giraffe or a poodle, you just end up with a swollen leg or arm.

Important Note: It’s not contagious, it’s certainly not glamorous, but it is persistent! Almost like that one guest who won’t leave the party even after you’ve put the lights on and started cleaning up. Take a hint! It is time to gooooo!

This really is, in my opinion, one of the worst parts of having metastatic breast cancer.

I have been dealing with this for 3 years now and will for the rest of my life. I am not complaining about it…well, some days I am if I am being honest. Like when it is really swollen and even just wearing a t-shirt is the most annoying thing ever.

There are many things I can do to get it back under control such as lymphatic drainage massages either on myself or by a professional. In this type of treatment, it is like mapping the fluid to the drainage ports in our body. Slowly pushing the Jell-O like substance under the skin (aka-Lymph fluid) towards the groin and opposite armpit where the lymphatic system is still intact and can process all the waste. I am sorry for the Jell-O analogy. I know I can’t eat it anymore either after that visual. Blahh…. textures are now a thing for me!

When I first had to learn to manage my lymphedema it was noted that my right arm and hand were what was affected by the lymphedema. Knowing this, I was put into a compression garment for my arm and hand. It has been working great; however, in the last year I have noticed that the fluid is now being trapped in my shoulder and armpit as well as the scapula area.

Fun right? Not really!

Today I had an appointment with Cancer Rehabilitation. Yes, that is a thing! And thank God it is! The appointment consisted of my physiotherapist measuring the swelling in my arm. The crazy part is my left arm is now smaller than my right, but my right arm is smaller than it was three years ago!

So, what does that even mean?

Well, it means that I am managing my lymphedema very well in my arm. That is the good part!

The not great part is the uncomfortable pooling of fluid happening in my arm pit and my back area. The good part about today is I learned there are options to support the movement of fluid in this area as well! There are compression bras and padding that can be added to a bra to help compress and move the fluid.

I recommend we all learn as much as possible about our lymphatic system BEFORE we have to learn to manage it like I have. Here is a comprehensive list of things we can do to manage our lymphatic system:

Move Your Body (Daily)

Exercise is #1. Walking, dancing, yoga, rebounding, and swimming are great examples of all that help.
Think: movement = drainage.

Stay Hydrated

Lymph fluid is mostly water…. besides some of that Jell-O like texture. If you’re dehydrated, your system slows down like pouring molasses.
Aim for steady sips throughout the day and make your water interesting by adding cucumber, lemon or even basil!

Massage & Dry Brushing

Lymphatic massage can be a game-changer, especially if you’ve had surgery or radiation. You can do this yourself or with a professional.
Dry brushing (always brushing toward the heart) helps stimulate lymph flow and slough off dead skin.

Deep Breathing

You might think you do this, but I will guarantee that most of us do not!
Your diaphragm acts like a pump for the lymph system. Slow, deep belly breathing is simple but powerful.
Try a few minutes of breathing: inhale for 4, hold 7, exhale 8.

Eat Clean, Anti-Inflammatory Foods

We all know in theory that junk food is bad for us and yet we do it! Now is the time to adjust the sails!
Go heavy on veggies, berries, leafy greens, and omega-3s.
Avoid processed junk and too much salt, which can make your body hang onto fluid. Sorry salt! I have loved you for too long!

Sweat It Out

Saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga are all activities that encourage sweating, which supports detox.
Just remember to rehydrate like a champ afterward. What goes out, you need to replenish back in!

Sleep & Stress Management

Poor sleep and chronic stress both throw your lymph system off. Trust me! I have experienced this one firsthand and it is no fun at all!
Restorative sleep and stress-reducing practices (meditation, journaling, nature time) keep your immune and drainage systems in sync.

There you have it! Some great ways to support that beautiful system that keeps our bodies healthy and our immune system happy! I hope you never have to know what life is like to live with a broken-down lymphatic system but know that if you ever do, I have you covered!

This Girl Is On Fire (Part II) The Extinguisher

By tammyg | July 30, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

Well, here we are, one month later and I have left you hanging in a hot sweat wondering why you are having that hot flash! Sorry about that, my marketing team tells me that I can’t ramble on too much in one month. They say that blogs are meant to be 700-1000 words. I bet they have never experienced a hot flash and needed relief! They are right though, I could really go on and on about this topic. That is why I have broken it up into a two part series to keep you engaged and me coachable to the process of blogging!

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s dive in, shall we?!

What is triggering that nasty “burning you up from the inside out” hot flashes?

To be honest, there are quite a few things that can trigger them unfortunately and women respond differently to certain triggers. There are some though that are common for us all. The most irritating thing, in my opinion, is that at one time your body was totally fine and welcoming to all these things. In fact, some may have been your favorite thing ever!

Here is a Top 10 list I have gathered in no particular order:

Heat – Hot weather, saunas, warm rooms, or even too many blankets can bring on a flash faster than you can say “menopause.”
Spicy foods – Delicious, yes. But your body might treat that jalapeño like a flamethrower. I am a HUGE FAN of spicy food which makes this so disappointing and sometimes I just fight my way through the hot flash and tell myself I am enjoying it!
Caffeine – Your beloved coffee or energy drink can make your internal thermostat glitch. This one I switched to mushroom coffee to deal with and as gross as that might sound, it tastes EXACTLY like coffee! I will share more about this another day!
Alcohol – Especially red wine. What is crazy about this is your Doctor will tell you that if you have any alcohol your best option is red wine for health reasons and yet it can make you feel like you stepped on hot coals on first sip!
Stress or anxiety – Emotional surges often lead to physical ones. Fun, right?
Tight clothing – Restrictive clothes can trap heat and make your body rebel. This year I have taken on being in my flowy dress phase of life to combat this.
Smoking – Not only unhealthy overall but also a notorious hot flash enhancer.
Sugar or high-carb meals – Can spike insulin and mess with thermoregulation. Great! Not even a chocolate bar can help you out of this hot mess!
Exercise (right before bed) – Yes, it’s good for you, but close to bedtime it may rev up your engine too much. Besides, who wants to work out right before bed? Not this girl!
Hot drinks – Even tea or soup can be a sneaky trigger, especially in a warm environment. This one I find though could go either way!

There you have it! If you avoid all of these things you may be able to reduce or eliminate your hot flashes. You may also lead the most boring life! Unless you are someone who knows you can embrace giving up all of this and find new happiness living in the Arctic, eating bland food, while sipping on water, meditating in a baggy dress (and cotton underwear) while reading a book before bed.

Okay, all joking aside, you do not have to give all of this up. You just need to figure out what it is for you that sets off your hot flash. It is a lot of trial and error to get to the point of knowing what your triggers are but if you keep at it, you will find relief. I promise you!

Lastly, I hear people say that aging sucks but I like to think that the alternative to aging is worse. Being six feet under! We have to find ways to embrace these new stages in life and remind ourselves that not all get to age, so even this is a privilege. It is a hot and sweaty burning you up privilege but a privilege all the same! The more we talk about these topics the more we can see we are not alone and we have community to reach out to.

Let me ask you, what would you like me to blog about next?

Send me an email and let me know!

Until then, stay COOL my friends!

Much love,

Tammy

This Girl is on Fire!

By tammyg | June 22, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

This GIRL IS ON FIRE! This girl is on fireeee…

I recently saw my great niece at six years old stand up on stage and belt out this song in one of the most powerful voices I have ever heard for a six-year-old. She shocked me to the point I sat there in tears listening to this beautiful young girl giving it her all and I was so moved. She was a girl on FIRE and the flames were burning up that stage with her awesomeness!

The funny part was the next day when my post menopause hot flashes came on, all I could hear was her singing THIS GIRL IS ON FIREEEE, THIS IS GIRL ON FIREEEEE and you know what…I was! I was burning up from the inside out and now that song had a whole new meaning for me.

The intensity of a hot flash can be like someone lit a match under your skin and as the flames begin to grow, so does your internal heat to the point you feel like you may self combust. It is intense and I apologize to every woman who tried to warn me about this as I would say “Oh, I will love it! I love the heat!” Nope! I DO NOT love this! It is a raging inferno that turns on and off like a water tap!

So, what is a hot flash and why do we get them at a certain point in our lives?

I am so glad you asked! Let me explain…a hot flash is a sudden onset of intense heat. This is your bodies way of telling you that your hormones are going on a vacation and may not be coming back!

The heat is just one part of it though. The hot flash is often joined by a flushed or red face and your eyeballs may feel like they are sweating…not crying…SWEATING! In fact, your whole body may feel like it is sweating, and your heart may begin beating as if you just completed a marathon. Because your body is being so dramatic, afterwards it doesn’t know what to do so you may experience chills. I am the lucky benefactor of ALL these symptoms, so I promise you I am speaking from experience. Which may make all that I wrote here a bit scarier. Sorry about that but you deserve the truth! Warts and all!

Let’s move on to WHY on earth we have them.

Hot flashes commonly occur because of hormonal changes. Particularly caused by a drop in estrogen. There are three stages in life that this can happen for women:

Perimenopause (which is the time in life where you may feel your emotions are going crazy and something is wrong with you. Nothing is wrong with you, but I get it!)
Menopause (which means you have gone without a period for 12 months…which in my opinion is not a bad thing!)
Post-menopause (which is still no period and you’re still dealing with the aftermath of the first two I mentioned)

When estrogen in our bodies decide to take that long vacation to sunny Aruba, our body’s thermostat notices that something is missing. When the brain makes the connection that Estrogen is gone (or not totally gone but wants to leave) it screams out to the rest of the body “Hey! Did somebody turn the heat up? Where did Estrogen go?” This then confuses the body because it doesn’t remember doing that but will take the cue and turn on the cooling system which includes sweating, dilating blood vessels and then triggering a full-body heat wave because like my grandpa always told me…” On a hot day, drink something hot and you will cool down.” I never understood this logic, but it always worked!

FUN FACT: When I got breast cancer at 44 years old, I was just at the cusp of starting my perimenopause era. Because my cancer is estrogen driven the oncologist needed to put me on a drug to drastically lower my bodies estrogen immediately. This meant that I went from “Oh, I am sweaty and a little emotional today…hmmm” to “DEAR LORD what new hell of fire and fury have I walked into?! I AM BURNING UP and I think it’s best if you just walk away!!”

The joys of hot flashes are very few. The only time they have come in handy for me was when I was outside in a good Canadian winter and was cold. The sudden onset of the hot flash was appreciated in the moment but then the after chills wrecked the whole experience.

The other good thing about all of this and I am always looking for the good, in my opinion, is when the period stops. I appreciate not having to count the days until my cycle starts or needing to carry supplies on me all the time or being worried about wearing white pants. Actually, I still worry about wearing white pants but that is because I am a spiller and those pants most likely will not be white by the end of the day no matter what my cycle does. A glass of red wine or an ice cream cone can make just as much mess I have learned.

OOH! And another fun fact ladies, MEN can get hot flashes too! It is usually due to a medical treatment they are receiving that affects their testosterone levels like for prostate cancer. (NOT fun and in no way am I celebrating they must go through that. I share this with you though so that we don’t assume it’s only us ladies that get to experience the “joy” of a hot flash!)

There you have it, this is what it is and why we get them! Not necessarily enjoyable but simple right?!

In my next blog, I will share with you what can trigger the hot flash and what you can do to cool down besides jumping in a snowbank or an ice bath!

Stay tuned because THIS GIRL IS ON FIREEEEEE!

The Mental Weight of Surviving: Cancer’s Invisible Aftershock

By tammyg | March 25, 2025 | Comments 0 Comment

Let’s Talk About Breasts Baby…Let’s Talk About You and Me…Let’s Talk About All the good things and the bad things they could be…Let’s talk about breasts…

I can’t help but write while singing along in my head to Salt & Peppers hit song Let’s Talk about sex…

Yes, this is the way my brain operates day in and day out. And now you are privy to just a taste of what goes on between my ears. This is the “good stuff!”

YOU are welcome my friend!

But it wasn’t always like this. Or perhaps a little bit but there was a time where all that went on between my ears was shear panic that I may die. Like the thoughts of once diagnosed, the next day I would be dead and then a spiral to follow included my family having to deal with my funeral arrangements.

I know that all moved very quickly to death and funerals. I would assert though, that I am not the only person who has had that reaction when diagnosed with cancer. The mind is a very powerful thing and like superpowers can be used for good or evil, so can our thoughts.

Mental health during a diagnosis is crucial and sometimes overlooked. We just assume that first and foremost we need to take care of our physical body. Which is true. However, our mental state can often be the source of much destruction that will affect our overall being long term.

Women and men who go through a cancer diagnosis often talk about it as leaving a lasting PTSD type impact on their lives. While going through it I felt like everyday I was swimming in the deep end of the pool and to be honest, I am not a great swimmer. Every now and then I would go under water and come up gasping for air.

One of the even bigger issues came after all that deep water swimming and I hit land. Or better said, they told me my treatment was done, and they were unleashing me back into the world after years of being poked and prodded at I was left with this sense of “are you sure? What if it comes back? How will I know? What do I do now?” These questions took over the inner workings of my mind and left me fluttering without a paddle and now I was in the ocean!

There are a lot of analogies today I see. Bear with me!

My experience was that there is not a lot of initial information shared with you once you are done all the treatment and seeking out support is crucial. When the doctors and hospitals are done with you it’s kind of like they throw a mini celebration that you have completed everything. In the moment you too have your party hat on and are so thrilled that you did it! But then the dancing and party music shuts off. You take your party hat off and the next stage of your diagnosis sets in.

The future unknown.

A cancer diagnosis doesn’t end when treatment ends. In fact, I believe it has left me with this new sense of not really knowing who I am. I am now in this new body that is navigating what I can and cannot do anymore. I am constantly assessing how I am physically feeling and doing my best to not let the thoughts of reoccurrence come rumbling in.

Everyday, there is work to be done to remind myself that I am awesome, healthy and doing okay. Mainly I must deal with these thoughts at 3 or 4 AM. You know, primetime between the ears for all suspense thriller dramas and viewing pleasure! The mind is a cruel movie sometimes!

Then the question then becomes “How do I support my mental health?”

Great question Tammy, I never thought you would ask! To be honest it has been a trial-and-error kind of phenomenon. There is no one right way to deal with mental health and every person is responsible for finding what works for them.

For myself, I have taken a few different approaches to my mental health and here is my list in no particular order:

Learning to breathe deeply and focus my intentions on breathing deeply. Sounds simple. It is not and takes lots of practice day in and day out.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Find a great CBT doctor to support you in learning about our thoughts and how we spiral and how to control it.
Get a Cancer Coach. I didn’t even know this existed at first but there are programs like Wellspring out there that have people who have gone through cancer and are trained to support others going through it to support you after all your treatment is done.
Landmark Worldwide. I took these courses long before I was ever diagnosed. They provided me with a foundation to bring myself back to “what’s so” when my mind would go off. When I completed all my treatment, I reviewed the course again and it supported me in getting complete with all that had happened.

When you hear that it takes a village to support one person, it is true. We also all know that it doesn’t take a cancer diagnosis for any of us to know the importance of taking care of our mental heath and if I am being honest, we all need to take care of it now more than ever. Whether it be a disease you are dealing with or just dealing with what is going on in our world today, it can all be really overwhelming.

Breast cancer taught me to slow down. Appreciate life and not be so wrapped up in what I couldn’t change. It taught me that I can deal with anything and be okay. It taught me that I am stronger than I thought. It also taught me that what goes on between my ears can be both positive or negative within split seconds and there is support out there to guide me through the negative.

If you need support, reach out. You don’t have to do this alone.

Join my community on Facebook and/or Instagram!

Tag: anxiety