As a childhood cancer survivor, healthy lifestyle behaviors and overall wellness are paramount to managing potential side effects and achieving a higher quality of life! It is essential to live healthily – both physically and mentally – and maintain a balanced life by incorporating an effective stress management system to navigate survivorship and all its related issues. Family members of childhood cancer survivors are so often affected by the impact of the trauma and the cancer treatment, and sometimes even the continuing effects of significant chronic health issue management. Maintaining healthy habits helps the body heal and continues to strengthen the body and mind.
Taking care of one’s body and brain keeps a person strong and supports physical and mental health. Caring for and keeping a body and brain healthy is important for performance, cognitive function, and higher quality of life. This is important for everyone, but it is more critical for survivors and their families.
Many childhood cancer survivors continue to experience health issues and cognitive challenges, in addition to the normal stresses of life. The burden of ongoing stress can worsen these cancer late effects. It is important to find ways to monitor stress levels and develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress and maintain optimal health.
Setting and managing reasonable expectations is a skill that many in today’s world struggle to do well. It is easy to understand that survivors and families impacted by childhood cancer have a more difficult time managing day-to-day expectations, along with chronic health issues and its related stress. Having realistic expectations of oneself, and balancing the different aspects of life, helps keep a person centered and able to determine what is reasonable, rather than becoming overwhelmed or burned out.
A person can consider various aspects of self care that complement the basics of eating well, exercising, getting quality sleep, good stress management, and maintaining healthy relationships. Research supports the value and positive impact of massage, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, and art/music therapy. Additionally, research is finding some concerns with some common everyday household products that contain potentially harmful chemicals. Many items, such as cleaning products and hair/ skin care products, contain harmful carcinogens and endocrine disruptors that potentially can harm someone with a history of cancer. Further, survivors should exercise great caution if considering marijuana, CBD, and/or tobacco products because of their medical history. It is wise to become aware of, and consider, both positive alternative therapies and the removal of potentially harmful products.
