“Mind-body techniques such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong have been found to lower distress and lead to improvements in different aspects of quality of life. It is essential that the standard of care in oncology include distress screening and the delivery of different techniques to help patients manage the psychosocial challenges of diagnosis and treatment of cancer…”
Exercising to relax (Full article, Harvard Medical School Online) Since we have a chronic genetic illness like VHL, we are prone to stress that is chronic. I liked this article because it categorizes the various reliable stress management strategies or exercises into 2 types:
Aerobic and endurance: those physical exercises involving the body. E.g. Walking, jogging, ellipticals, sports, group activities, and stretching
"Autoregulation": those mental exercises involving the mind. E.g. Breathing exercises, meditation, Benson “relaxation response” talking things out with someone, writing/journaling, and progressive muscle relaxation
Stress symptoms of body and mind amplify and interact with each other, so presenting 2 "types" of strategies seems more manageable and memorable. Usually various stress reduction strategies are talked about separately.
“In fact, experts say, almost all of us benefit from social and emotional support… You don’t need a huge network of friends and family to benefit from social support… Seek out peer support. If you’re dealing with a specific stressful situation — such as caring for a family member or dealing with a chronic illness…”
Wellspring’s brochure called “Strength, Confidence, Skills, and Hope” is inspiring as it describes a..
Mental Health Meter Assessing our mental health is not as simple to do as measuring our physical health. There are no scales or endurance tests that rate mental fitness. But with the help of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Meter, you can reflect on your unique strengths and identify areas where your level of mental fitness could be improved to help you cope with all of life’s up and downs.