Cancer is all-consuming mentally, or, it can be if we let it.
Mind demons can wrap us in barbed wire and keep us inside a compound of stress and anxiety.
If we let them.
I find that cancer is on my mind pretty much all of the time unless I do something about it.
I do manage to kick these thoughts off the pitch now and again so I can run around and enjoy some freedom from ruminating about my mortality.
Distractions help.
In fact, distractions help enormously and they are a known behavioural intervention for draining the emotional poison of cancer.
We have to take action in order to create order and that comes through positive self-management and reconfiguring our daily lives and reconstructing our self-identities.
‘Distractivities’ and amusements are crucially important when you have cancer. Finding something that will help shift your attention and escape lets your mind breathe.
There are, of course, a variety of divertissements to choose from and it’s good to mix them up a bit too. These might include attention focussing, imagery, mental games and ‘activities’. The latter is limitless!
There are a multitude of things you can do to pull yourself out of a cancer funk but I always feel super-distracted by an actual physical experience where I’m actively involved.
This keeps the mind and body busy and lets your soul soar rather than feel sore. That said, a passive and sedentary experience such as watching a film at the cinema can also work wonders and really take you into a different world. Zoning out is great!
I also absolutely love Escape Rooms. These are the perfect distraction for me and my family. For that one hour, you are locked into (not literally – you can get out!) a different world and you have so solve lots of problems and puzzles together. It’s a great way for my family to also escape from the whole cancer thing too. They are a very welcome distraction!
I also love nature and getting out for a walk in the countryside. That always hits the spot for me and although I might have plenty of time to think as I hike across the fields, I am inspired by the environment and feel happy.
Clearly we can’t all be bungee jumping and zip-wiring so a balance of activities is more sensible, doable, affordable and practical.
It is of course, each to their own and figuring out what works best for you. Anything that helps you channel your attention elsewhere is beneficial rather than focusing on the emotions, sickness, or pain that you’re feeling because of cancer.
It’s far too easy to brew and stew in negative emotions when going through cancer so I always have something on my daily menu that will stop that from happening. Anything that can make you ‘forget’ your problems for a moment.
Foamy distractions can help wash away the cancer blues.
Of course, distractions don’t always work. Even when I’m doing something enjoyable, I might not be able to escape thinking about you know what but at least these thoughts are diluted and not so concentrated.
Cancer can drive you to distraction. So get busy distracting yourself!