CNN’sHealth Library reports on methods for reducing holiday stress for those with cancer (excerpt):
So how can you make this holiday season one to remember instead of one to endure? Here are some tips on how to reduce stress at the holidays for those with cancer.
R.E.S.T.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, Dr. Creagan recommends that you remember these initials: R.E.S.T.
R — Be realistic
Your energy may be diluted by the disease, your emotions and the stress. Be realistic about what you can and can’t do. Be sure to ask for help and don’t be afraid to make changes. Change is not necessarily bad. For instance, hold the Christmas brunch at someone else’s home this year.
E — Exercise
“When you feel at your wits’ end,” says Dr. Creagan, “go for a walk for 20 minutes if you can. Your problems will still be there, but your reaction to them changes.”
Studies have shown that aerobic exercise can reduce stress, depression and anxiety. If you have cancer and are undergoing treatment, you may not have the energy to do much exercise. But even a little can help. A wide array of benefits are linked to exercise, including improved sleep, increased strength, and reduced depression, anxiety, nausea and fatigue.
“Even 10 minutes of walking can help restore some energy,” says Dr. Creagan. “We humans were not designed to be sedentary. The cave men would have been eaten by tigers if they did not exercise. That’s how they survived and that’s how we survive.”
S — Sleep
According to Dr. Creagan, “We sleep on average 60 to 90 minutes less per day than our grandparents did.” Lack of sleep can impair memory, reaction time and alertness. People who are tired are less productive at work, less patient with others and less interactive in relationships. If you’re undergoing cancer treatment, your sleep can be impaired even more.
If you can’t sleep, stress, anxiety, pain, bladder issues and medications are frequently the culprits. Ask your doctor for specific suggestions. Safe sleeping medications may be of value.
T — Time alone
Everyone needs some quiet time to reflect. “I’m kind of a private person anyway,” says Groff. “I like to think things through and decide a course of action before sharing my feelings with others.”
That first Christmas when Groff was undergoing tests for Hodgkin’s, he and his wife had planned a quiet Christmas at home with no relatives or other company. “We actually found ourselves glad that no one was coming for Christmas,” says Groff. “We were pretty much centered on my health.”