Your Self-Care Plan: 5 Overlooked Self-Care Practices for Cancer Patients

We're all familiar with the concept of self-care. What often comes to mind are things like a facial or an afternoon at the spa, taking time to get a massage, or making sure you're including exercise in your daily routine. While these are, of course, wonderful ways to care for yourself, when dealing with cancer, it’s helpful to have a bit more of a self-care plan. 

In this post, I’m sharing my five favorite, often overlooked, self-care practices for cancer patients that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life. Self-care doesn’t have to include a day at the spa!

Your Self-Care Plan: 5 Practices for Cancer Patients

1. Eat to Nourish Your Body

This one isn't about following a fad diet, but rather about giving your body the fuel it needs to function at its best for the long haul. 

Think about incorporating things like seeds, beans and legumes, green vegetables, and healthy fats/Omega-3s like salmon and avocado into your meals. These also all happen to be cancer-fighting foods, so you're taking extra great care of yourself by incorporating these foods into your diet.

2. Drink Enough Water & Hydrate

In our society, we're especially conditioned to start our day with a cup of coffee, maybe have a glass of juice with breakfast, and soda throughout the day. But your body needs hydration, so drinking water throughout the day is a great way to take good care of your body. 

Staying properly hydrated is one of the simplest yet most overlooked forms of self-care.

3. Make Time for Hobbies

Our daily routines and responsibilities are important, but it's more important to enjoy our time on this planet! Doing things that make you happy, such as a favorite hobby, is an excellent form of self-care.

Maybe you want to start reading more, pick up crochet, or learn to bake sourdough. Whatever brings you joy and helps you disconnect from the stress of treatment deserves a place in your schedule.

4. Socialize

Similar to the idea of making time for hobbies, make time to socialize! Friendships are critical to our mental health, so don't let them fall by the wayside over routines or the busyness of everyday life. 

This is especially hard when you're dealing with cancer, however, because there is suddenly so much more on your plate. And cancer ghosting is a real thing, unfortunately. But socializing is so important for our mental health, so I always encourage people to try to keep the friendships that are important to them alive. 

Friends may be able to sit with you during treatment, you can use downtime to give them a call, or arrange a walk around the neighborhood if you're up for it.

5. Limit Your Screentime

Aside from the physical effects of the blue light, spending too much time on our phones (reading news cycles, doom scrolling on social media, etc.) is terrible for our mental health. If you can, find the balance that works for you between staying informed and taking care of your brain. 

Scrolling first thing in the morning is especially bad for you because it gives you a cortisol spike that sets your body up to be in stress-fighting mode all day. Instead, try waking up with a book, a quiet meditation, or some mood-lifting music, rather than immediately reaching for your phone. And then throughout the day, you can use the focus setting on your phone to limit time on certain apps, or use a physical device such as the Brick to keep your screen time to a minimum.

Cancer Therapist

In my practice as a therapist for cancer patients, I often discuss ways to practice self-care with my clients. These are my favorite tips to share, so hopefully you’ve found them helpful! 

If you’re looking for more support during your journey with cancer, whether you’re newly diagnosed, going through treatment, or well into survivorship, I’d love to be a resource for you. I offer counseling services, and have lots more tips like these on my blog. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or to schedule a complimentary consultation to see if counseling is a good fit for you. 

Contact Cathy