Don’t Forget This New Year’s Resolution
It is that time of year again, when the calendar tells us it is January and the chatter about New Year’s resolutions starts. Turning over a new page in a calendar seems to align with turning over a new leaf in life. “New Year, New You!” is something you might read in a headline, but what does this mean for cancer patients and their caregivers?
If you are a person who looks forward to making resolutions every year, that can definitely continue, even if you or someone you love and care for has been diagnosed with cancer in the past year. On the other hand, if you are a person who avoids resolutions like the plague, even you might benefit from considering one simple resolution in the new year.
Be gentle with yourself.
It is easy to say, but sometimes, harder to practice. The beauty of it, too, is that it can apply to all people in all situations, including those going through cancer treatment or those caring for someone who is going through cancer treatment. Here are some examples of how it can be applied in the new year, if cancer has become part of your life.
Resolutions around health are common, typically revolving around diet and exercise. It is also common for these resolutions to be broken within days or weeks. This is probably the same for cancer patients and caregivers, too. A way to apply the idea of being gentle with yourself around diet and exercise resolutions is to keep new resolutions more general, by simply resolving to make healthier choices.
Absolve yourself of resolving to make all the positive changes all at once. Being gentle with yourself as a cancer patient or caregiver is acknowledging that you are experiencing something profoundly difficult. Sometimes just making it though the day is enough. In the midst of very uncertain and challenging experiences, like cancer, it is enough to just keep moving forward, whatever that looks like.
When the day-to-day has been impacted by medical treatments or caregiving responsibilities, feelings of not being able to keep up or disappointing those around you like spouses, children, or employers are common. Being honest with yourself about having new priorities or limitations is a way of being gentle with yourself. Things change, including how able you are to do it all.
“A new year is a wonderful opportunity to think about wanting to create positive and lasting change. Cancer is another thing that can propel someone to want to create positive changes in their lives,” says Dr. Srilata Gundala, owner and founder of Hope & Healing Care Services in Hinsdale, Illinois. “Health and wellbeing are always important, but never more so than when going through cancer treatment. An important way that my patients can think of their health is for them to prioritize themselves and their changing needs during treatment.”
Remembering to be gentle with yourself, by prioritizing and centering yourself and your needs during challenging and uncertain times, is a positive thing for cancer patients and caregivers. That might look different than traditional resolutions, but is no less important to ensuring overall health and wellbeing. If you choose to make New Year’s resolutions this year, remember to be gentle with yourself in all your efforts.
Written By: Sheila Quirke, MSW
Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, MD
