Cancer: New Diagnosis

A health diagnosis is difficult, and a cancer diagnosis is particularly tough to deal with. This meditation will help calm your body and mind, and has some guidance for these early days of diagnosis and treatment, from someone who has been where you are now.

Music is "River Flute" Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License | Photography by Regan Barsdell 2022.

Transcript

Paced down in a Take a moment to settle in.

You can do this guided meditation either sitting upright or lying down,

Whichever is more comfortable for you.

If you choose to lie down I invite you to place a pillow under your knees for extra relaxation.

Whether you are sitting or lying down,

Feel free to cover yourself with a blanket for that extra snuggle factor if it's cold where you are.

Settle in,

Situate yourself.

Think about where your body is.

Are you sitting or lying?

Are you comfortable in this position?

Take three full deep belly breaths and let them out slowly.

Feel yourself sinking into your chair or the floor,

The bed,

Wherever you are.

Feel the support below you as your limbs grow heavier.

Feel waves of relaxation flow through you on each exhale.

Think about where your mind is.

Are you truly here yet?

Any kind of health diagnosis is difficult but a cancer diagnosis is particularly tough.

While it's still new it may be very present in your thoughts.

If so,

Acknowledge that fact and bring your attention back to your breath.

Be aware of your breath.

Be curious.

Are you breathing fast or shallow?

Try and feel your chest and belly expand as you breathe in and out,

In and out.

Experiment with holding your breath for one beat between each in-breath and each out-breath and see if you can make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale.

Become aware of the feel of your breath in your nose and on your top lip.

If you notice yourself breathing fast or you feel your heart racing,

Then bring yourself back to the feeling of your belly expanding as it fills with air.

Count to four on your inhale,

Hold.

And count to six on your exhale,

Hold.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six.

If your mind wanders off,

Gently bring it back to your body and your breath.

If you feel like crying,

Please do.

It's okay,

I'm here with you.

Tears are all good around here.

After a diagnosis,

You may feel like a bomb has gone off in your life,

And in some ways it has.

There is no way to sugarcoat this.

Treatment can be tough.

But you are up to it,

I promise you.

You will get through this one step at a time.

Breathe,

Feel your belly rise and fall.

Right now,

If your diagnosis is very new,

Then there are a whole lot of unknowns.

And during treatment,

Things can change as your medical team learn more about your particular cancer.

If you have not yet had surgery,

Then plans may very well change after the tissue has been examined under a microscope.

So it is good to be informed about different treatment options.

But don't cling too tightly to what you are told at this stage.

Cancer treatment is a rollercoaster,

And twists and turns are common.

Try not to get too attached to a particular treatment plan or explanation at this early stage,

As things are in flux.

It helps to be okay with a bit of uncertainty.

Cancer is complex,

And it's a good thing that treatment plans change as your team learns more,

As that shows you are being treated for your specific set of circumstances,

And not getting a cookie cutter approach.

You have some tough days ahead of you,

But I promise you there will be good experiences too.

And you are doing the perfect thing right now,

Showing up,

Lying down,

And relaxing your body.

This is a thing you can control,

Choosing to take some time to rest.

Remember,

When things feel overwhelming you can return to your breath,

Either with a guided meditation or on your own,

Anywhere and anytime.

This belly breath is always here for you.

You can gain respite from the world and take a moment to return to your body,

Supply it with oxygen.

Become aware that you and your body are a team embarking on a new challenge together.

Breathe,

Feel your belly rise and fall.

Slow your breath down,

And make it slower again.

Take as much time as you need before you begin telling people,

And be prepared for a wide range of responses and sometimes unhelpful comments and reactions.

Mostly people are amazing,

But cancer is scary and scared people can react strangely.

It's okay,

They're doing the best they can in a tough situation,

As are you.

You don't necessarily need to tell people in person,

And you can also tell just one or two people and ask them to spread the word for you.

Or keep it to a small group,

Whatever works for you,

And you are the most important thing right now.

You might feel bad about how this will affect others,

And it's natural to try and shield them.

But if you can,

Try and think about the type of help you need right now.

Someone to cry with,

Someone to help with groceries,

Someone to take you for treatment or walk the dog.

Think about specific things that you need help with and ask people to do them if they ask how they can help.

People like to be involved,

It makes them feel less helpless in the face of uncertainty,

So don't be afraid to ask for what you need.

Sometimes the best help is just hanging out and watching TV together,

It doesn't have to be fancy.

And if what you need is to be left alone to process this,

That's okay too.

As kindly as you can,

Explain it to people,

Or ask someone else to explain it on your behalf.

You need to protect your energy,

And being around people can be really draining if you're an introvert.

You'll have a sense of who the rocks in your life are,

And now is the time for them to help you conserve your strength.

Breathe.

Feel your chest expand and contract.

Positive mental attitude will help a lot through treatment,

But don't try and shoehorn yourself into forced positivity right now.

You will have a whole lot of feelings,

Many of them challenging,

And it's important to acknowledge them.

Anger,

Fear,

Guilt.

Feel them,

Work through them,

And know you aren't alone.

I'm here with you.

If people around you don't understand how you're feeling,

You can reach out online to people who are a bit further along the treatment path who can help.

Many people survive this,

Many,

Many people.

Most of us want to pay forward the support we received.

You are not alone.

My main advice is to not look too far ahead.

Find out what the next step is,

Research that,

Then take that step and look for the next one.

You may not need all the treatments first talked about,

And there's a lot to take in,

So don't run too far ahead as it can be very draining.

If you're a planner and researcher,

I really invite you to try and dial that back a little.

Ask questions,

Be curious and informed,

But don't overwhelm yourself,

As there are so many things to process right now,

And you can address the other stuff soon enough.

The only way past this is through it,

And you need to conserve your energy every step of the way,

Your mental and emotional as well as your physical energy.

A diagnosis is a hard thing to hear,

And it takes some time to adjust,

But you will adjust and you will find strength.

And while you wait for the next step,

You can take a deep breath,

And then another,

And know that in each moment you are safe,

Supported and loved.

You can return here or to any other guided meditations whenever you want to relax and calm your body.

We are going to spend the next few minutes relaxing the body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Take your attention to your scalp,

Feel the skin relax as you exhale.

Feel your face relax,

Your jaw and cheeks affected by gravity.

Become aware of your shoulders,

Roll them a few times and release them down.

Feel a wave of relaxation move down your arms and into your hands.

Make fists,

Stretch your hands and then relax them.

Feel your breath move your chest,

Feel your ribcage move out as you inhale and in as you exhale.

Take your awareness to your belly and feel your breath there expanding and contracting,

Expanding and contracting.

Tune into your legs,

Pince your thighs and then relax them,

Then tense your calves and relax them.

Roll your feet one way and then the other,

Scrunch your toes and then relax your ankles and feet.

Feel your whole body relax with each exhale.

With each inhale feel peace fill you up and with each exhale feel deeper relaxation flow down from your head to your feet.

Breathe in,

Breathe out,

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

We are coming to the end of our meditation.

It's time to return to your body.

Be aware of where you are.

Are you lying or sitting?

What time of day is it?

Take a deep breath and notice the air moving in and out through your nose.

Start wiggling your toes and fingers.

Roll your head gently side to side and open your eyes.

Take one last deep breath together.

It's time to return to your day or evening.

Hope you're feeling relaxed and that you can find pockets of peace in this tricky time.

Thank you for sharing this meditation with me.

You're welcome.

Reviews

Thank you so much for this meditation. I’ve been newly diagnosed and navigating whats feels like a reality I don’t recognize. This meditation felt so specific to what I’ve been thinking and experiencing. Thank you again 🙏🏽

Thank you so much for this wonderfully wise, gentle, calm and compassionate meditation. I found it so helpful this morning after a diagnosis yesterday. I found it offered comfort, peace , supportive guidance and strength all in one. Literally, exactly what I needed to hear, thank you so much 🙏

Soothing. Comforting to know I’m not alone in going through this. Thank you for making a special meditation for cancer patients.

Thank you for your wise words, comfort and support. This meditation is my safe refuge during this frightening
and confusing time.

At first I was scared about actually hearing someone , a stranger say “new diagnosis” but … it was perfect, breathing relaxing hearing reality- I heard snd felt it all and feel much better as a result- I will definitely return- probably several times. Thank you!!

I have only listened once,* but am so grateful to know I can come back this advice, this relaxation, reassurance, and guide to breath. Thank you so much for knowing just what is meeded.

I have now listened many, many times and sm so grateful for the love, strength, and kindness tgat comes through this recording. This and a ton of support from my friends and family helped me to stay open to treatment options. I joined a clinical trial and the cancer was eliminated. I am now cancer free. Thank you again for this guided meditation.

Thank you very much for sharing this. "Pockets of peace" is beautiful 🌟

Amazing! What a comfort in a very uncertain time. Thank you so much for this moment of peace and calm. xo

This meditation has been amazing. And very good advice about how to deal with people around you. As I’ve had people say things that shook me up a bit, but now know they are probably unsure on how to react. But the large majority have been awesome.
Thanks for a beautiful meditation.

Really helpful. Thank you. I'm still in shock and this was kind and supportive and not patronising by sugar coating anything. Love their faint kiwi accent too :)

Lovely and so helpful. Thank you for this series. I’m looking forward to taking you with me on the journey.

❤️

Thanks for doing this. I needed the insight. Just today I was told that I have the beginning stage of endocervical cancer. Even though the doctor said that it’s very treatable at this point as long as it’s addressed swiftly, it’s very difficult for me not to feel such uncertainty about what’s going to happen because just less than 3 months ago, I was hospitalized for a MRSA/sepsis infection for nearly 3 weeks. So it’s difficult for me not to feel like “is there any end to this?” You said things that I needed to hear like “my body and I are in this together.” I’d been feeling like my body was failing me. I already have an appointment with an oncologist in two weeks. Last week, I endured a painful biopsy procedure which, along with a Pap smear, showed the results of the endocervical cancer cells. I’m trying to look at this as it was better that I found out about it sooner than later. You also validated what I have been feeling since I got the diagnosis this morning. I also appreciated your saying, “You are most important right now.” Many thanks for doing this because I’ve felt very alone in this despite the very few people who have shown support in the way that they are capable of.

Thank you so much for the support during this difficult time

I plan to share this with my beautiful young daughter-in-law who has just received the diagnosis of colon cancer. ❤️

So helpful, struggling to breath or cry let alone process the diagnosis. Such a helpful meditation and I’m thinking it will keep being so. Thank you so much for sharing and I’d definitely recommend. It’s so hard just to hear the word cancer and I found this dealt so well with this. 🙏

It Helped. Though I still can't cry cause of pain and shock

Just what I needed today, to soothe the anxiety and fear of the unknown. Thank you.

Recently diagnosed with lymphoma - this was very helpful, thank you 🙏