3 Self Care Tips To-Do Post Cancer/Cancer Treatments

You did it, you survived cancer! I know it has been a long road, I know you have probably struggled with even processing the fact that you are a CANCER SURVIVOR. But your journey is now shifting- shifting to a new stage, a stage of recovery and revitalization. This is an especially important time for people coming out of treatments. Your body is vulnerable, exhausted, depleted and changing. Your mind set is all over the place; you could be experiencing guilt, anxiety, gratefulness, disbelief, and mental exhaustion. These are ALL normal experiences; acknowledge them, honor them, and sit with them. You are not alone.

I am happy to give you some self-care tips on how to begin your recuperation process post cancer treatments. Try to incorporate these tips into your daily lives and see how you feel after a couple of weeks. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do for you, your family/friends, and your future ahead. So, let’s begin!

1.     Hydration: Bottoms Up!

Hydration is SO important. Cancer treatments can deplete your body leaving you dehydrated and even lacking electrolytes. It is actually quite a common side effect of all the treatments you’ve most likely experienced/could have experienced throughout your journey.

Here are some common signs of dehydration: headaches, dry mouth or lips, decreased energy, dizziness, low blood pressure, and dark urine color.

Now remember we are all bio individual; therefore, we all have different hydration needs. But really stepping back and listening to your body and watching for signs of dehydration can be the best method and the beginning to understanding what your body requires. I know it can be difficult to stay hydrated- you are peeing all the time, constantly grabbing water, and getting bored with the lack-of-taste beverage.

Therefore, here are some ways to enhance your water: add fresh fruit of any kind, try sparkling water, try warming your water or cooling your water (depending on the season), and eating vegetables that are high in water content can also help your body receive the nutrients it desires. If you are needing additional electrolytes (always check with your doctor), coconut water is a better alternative to any sugary “water” drinks out there. Try to avoid flavored water/sports drinks that contain added ingredients such as: sugar, “natural flavors”, dyes, and processed chemicals in them.

Benefits of adding fruit:

There are so many wonderful fruit options to add to your water: lemon, orange, strawberries + mint, strawberries + basil (especially with sparkling water), watermelon, lime, pineapple, raspberries, etc. You can even purchase a water pitcher with an insert in the middle of it, fill the insert with fresh fruit, and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days! Easy!

Or create some fruit cubes. When making ice in a tray, add some fruit chunks to it, freeze it, and then add it to your water (especially during the summer months). It is delicious and refreshing!

By adding fresh fruit, you receive detoxification benefits, antioxidants, flavor without the added sugar, and Vitamin C. These are ALL THINGS that boost your immunity and help prevent cancer reoccurrence. So really, what do you have to lose? Hydration will begin to boost your energy levels and begin to restore your body. It truly does a body good!

2.     GUT CHECK

Really, this is such an important factor to consider for everyone, but specifically for people healing from cancer/cancer treatments because 70% of our immune system is stored in our gut. Which means, how we fight and ward off infections is directly connected to our gut health, gut bacteria, and digestion. How crazy is that?!

Some things to consider when checking in with your gut: Are you having regular bowel movements? Constipation? Diarrhea? Are you feeling satisfied after you eat? Do you feel energized after you eat? Are you experiencing skin issues suddenly (i.e. eczema, psoriasis, hives)?

These questions help answer what kind of state your gut is in. To properly digest our food, obtain nutrients, and to activate cells within our gut to fight cancer, it is important to take notice of what’s happening when you eat and even when you don’t eat. The gut is extraordinarily complex but understanding that the food we eat should be providing us with energy, satisfaction, and nurturing our body is critical. The gut even affects our minds. You see when we eat something, our cells are triggered to communicate with one another – meaning, they send signals to the brain to release hormones. Hormones are incredibly important and play a huge part in depression and anxiety, both emotions we experience post cancer.

When I was recovering from cancer, I really had to rebuild my gut. It was totally destroyed from chemo and I couldn’t really absorb or digest food. So, it is important to pay attention to what your gut is saying, it has a mind of its own!

Some things you can do: Try incorporating probiotic rich foods into your diet. Some examples are: kefir, tempeh, yogurt (if you can handle dairy), sauerkraut, pickles, miso or even sourdough. And please know, you do NOT have to eat a ton of it. Have a pickle with lunch or throw some sauerkraut (raw) on a salad. Have some yogurt with fruit, nuts, berries and cinnamon for breakfast. You do not have to eat all the probiotic foods daily. Focus on incorporating maybe one a day and start to take note on how your gut is starting to feel/react.

3.     Sleep Tight

Listen, you have gone through cancer. You are tired, your body is tired and you deserve and need REST. Take advantage ..AKA pull the “cancer card” anytime you feel necessary and let your body rest. Please note that cancer fatigue is a side effect of treatments and when you are experiencing fatigue from treatments this differs from restorative sleep.

Sleep is so incredibly important to rehabilitate the body, mind, and spirit. There are so many benefits, such as: our internal organs rest and recover (essential for cancer recovery), tissue repair occurs, muscle growth occurs, hormonal balance (especially in regards to appetite control, stress, melatonin and the metabolism), memory consolidation occurs, strengthens the immune system, increases energy, reduces anxiety/mental exhaustion/depression, increases libido, and increases focus and creativity. WOW. No wonder sleep is so important!

Ideally, if you are over the age of 18, you need somewhere between 7-9 hours each night. This can also decrease your chances of cancer reoccurrence and chronic diseases occurring. It is important to remember that sleep leads to total body recovery, reduces inflammation, reduces insulin resistance, etc.

In order to best set yourself up for a successful night of rest and recovery, try to incorporate some of these valuable tips: create a bedtime routine, put away electronics 2 hours prior to bedtime, take a warm bath, journal and/or meditate. Clearing your mind by meditation and journaling can help with night waking’s if anxiety is creeping in. Also, try to relax the body by deep breathing techniques (diaphragmatic breathing).

If you need any help with recovery, check out my one-on-one coaching program HERE. I offer FREE consultations and would love to help you heal and strengthen yourself as you enter this new chapter in life. CONGRATULATIONS on where you are at in your journey and thank you for showing up!