I think mindfulness and meditation are two highly underrated practices, especially among teens and young adults. I know I spent most of my time growing up thinking of meditation as something silly that older people do, mostly because my dad likes to meditate. But, as I have started going to yoga classes and learning more about meditation, I have found that it can be incredibly powerful. Meditation involves turning your attention to a single point of reference - for me, I focus on breathing at the end of yoga. I lay on the mat and focus on hearing and feeling my breath as I inhale and exhale. It strangely makes you lose sensation in your limbs, as it brings immense mental and physical relaxation. Mindfulness is similar, but it is something I have less experience with. I have read a lot about mindfulness recently though, due to it's increased popularity as a tool to help cancer patients cope with the mental and physical effects of treatment.
I think mindfulness and meditation have great potential for teens and young adults going through treatment because the physical relaxation these exercises provides can help bring temporary relief from physical pain and other ailments. Additionally, going through treatment, we face many social challenges that can increase the amount of stress we are under, and I know I often suffered from negative moods that brought me down as well.
For survivors, mindfulness and meditation, as I have found, are also super important. They can be really great ways to work through chemo brain, help you find temporary relief from post-treatment related physical challenges, and maintaining inner calm when you are at doctor's appointments or other stressful situations.
The best part is, these things can be done whenever and wherever :) I want to share with you an article from the Mayo Clinic, written by a nurse practitioner who works for the Mayo Clinic Health System. She shares the benefits of mindfulness exercises, as well as some pointers on how to practice them. As she writes, mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and it can improve your mood. So, there is a lot to be gained from it. I encourage you to check it out and give mindfulness, meditation, or both, a try!
I think mindfulness and meditation have great potential for teens and young adults going through treatment because the physical relaxation these exercises provides can help bring temporary relief from physical pain and other ailments. Additionally, going through treatment, we face many social challenges that can increase the amount of stress we are under, and I know I often suffered from negative moods that brought me down as well.
For survivors, mindfulness and meditation, as I have found, are also super important. They can be really great ways to work through chemo brain, help you find temporary relief from post-treatment related physical challenges, and maintaining inner calm when you are at doctor's appointments or other stressful situations.
The best part is, these things can be done whenever and wherever :) I want to share with you an article from the Mayo Clinic, written by a nurse practitioner who works for the Mayo Clinic Health System. She shares the benefits of mindfulness exercises, as well as some pointers on how to practice them. As she writes, mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and it can improve your mood. So, there is a lot to be gained from it. I encourage you to check it out and give mindfulness, meditation, or both, a try!
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