De-stress beats distress

We see sunsets like this every night at Rice Lake.

One of my biggest fears used to be public speaking. The past couple of years, it’s been stress.  The more I research, the more I learn how stress breaks down your immune system. We’ve all experienced it.  You go through a stressful, busy time and what happens? You’re more prone to getting sick. From my experience and reading, the same goes for serious illness like cancer.

According to the book, Anti-Cancer, and several other ones I’ve read, we all have cancer cells in our bodies. But most of us keep that at bay with a healthy immune system. Now, I’m not saying there aren’t other factors involved, such as a genetic disposition or certain carcinogens like smoking. But stress is a factor.

When I have consulted with a naturopath or other holistic doctors, the first thing they ask is if there was a major traumatic or stressful event going on in my life prior to my diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, my dad was dying. The second time around, I was in an extremely stressful job that had in me in tears when I first started.

So I became worried when I started getting into hyper-mode launching From Incurable to Incredible. I could feel my muscles tense, the headaches, my agitation rising. Adding to the stress was getting ready for our vacation, a wonderful thing but always stressful to me in the preparation.

We left Friday for our annual trip to Rice Lake in Canada. (Attention would-be burglars, a friend is watching our house!) I could actually feel the tension melting from my body as we drove through the beautiful countryside. And here I sit on the deck of our cabin, looking out at this magnificent lake with the gentle breeze blowing through my hair. I feel like a new person, and I know my body is benefiting from it, as well.

Now my challenge is to remember to relax when I’m not on vacation. I encourage all of you to take  a mini-vacation every day. I sometimes will think of this lake and breathe deeply. Or I’ll go out on my porch of the house and just listen to the birds chirp. My yoga class is another way I can take a break and establish some calm in my life. And if you can, getting away on vacation is a great way to gain some perspective. Whatever works for you, as Nike says, just do it!