Cancer Recovery Foundation UK: Attitude as Part of Cancer Prevention and Recovery

Attitude

There is growing recognition of the influence of the human mind over the health of our bodies. The effects of stress are widely known and there is ongoing research being carried out into areas such as biofeedback, meditation and visualization and the benefits that they can bring. Sports people often imagine themselves rehearsing and successfully achieving their goal as part of their mental and physical training and preparation. You might be familiar with the ways in which your thoughts and feelings can manifest themselves physically, even in something as simple as blushing when embarrassed or sweating when feeling nervous.

Under hypnosis, people can respond physically to being told that a non existent hot object is touching them. Imaginary events can also appear in brain scans as if they were being really experienced. The placebo effect is well known and indicates the link between our mental attitude about an illness and the physical body.

A positive attitude should form part of your plan to get well and stay well. Keeping physically and mentally active can help, as can avoiding destructive relationships, coming to terms with past wrongs, being optimistic, sharing love and humour with other people. Just as depression can leave you demotivated and lethargic, so being positive can give you motivation and energy.

Positive Thinking

Through the power of positive thinking, people can enhance the quality of life for themselves and those around them. Such positive emotions can help to reduce levels of stress and assist the healing process.

Negative thoughts and feelings can reduce the quality of life, increase stress and lead to ill health. Believing bad things will happen can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By contrast a positive outlook is more likely to produce positive results.

Belief and Choice

Among surveyed cancer survivors, 80 percent changed from perceiving cancer as meaning death to a belief that it might or might not equate to death. Whilst acknowledging the serious nature of their diagnosis, they regarded cancer as a challenge rather than a threat. They took personal responsibility for ensuring that they found the best medical treatment available and making the necessary changes in the way that they lived their life.

Meaning

Finding meaning in their lives and having a reason to live such as a milestone in life, was considered very important by 90 percent of survivors. By regarding cancer as a message to change they were able to mobilise their healing capacity.

Awareness

Many survivors experienced increased emotional awareness and 70 percent considered their psychological and emotional state to have contributed to their becoming ill. A similar percentage found beneficial effects from practising some type of meditation or relaxation technique. Such factors were felt to influence their immune system by 80 percent of survivors.

Forgiving

Half of surveyed survivors believed that releasing negative emotions from the past helped them. Rather than approving or forgetting past wrongs done to them or by them, they forgave and were able to free energies to heal.

Comfort

You might find comfort through prayer or meditation, attending community or social events or gatherings and talking with others who been through similar experiences. Whether or not a person has a personal faith, support might be found through local spiritual leaders, most of who will have been trained to counsel people. You could also find advice at your hospital or by speaking to a social worker. They could also provide support to the families of those living with cancer.

Rather than just fighting cancer, survivors focus on healing. They believe in the connection between mind and body and see themselves as being well.

Please contact us for more information about the benefits of a positive attitude.