{"id":3729,"date":"2019-10-29T16:52:14","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T16:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=3729"},"modified":"2023-11-10T15:57:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T20:57:12","slug":"5-ways-to-slow-down-while-dealing-with-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/5-ways-to-slow-down-while-dealing-with-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Slow Down while Dealing with Cancer","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Michelle, a running coach, approached me. \u201cWhat\u00a0about\u00a0a weekly walking group for cancer survivors and caregivers?\u201d Michelle\u2019s class was officially named Walking for Wellness. My part as Survivorship Coordinator at the St. Charles Cancer Center was trail sweep\u2014to hang out with the slowest walker so no one got left behind.
\n\"match<\/a>In all the years, I didn\u2019t lose a single participant. But I repeatedly failed as sergeant-at-arms (if the role of sergeant-at-arms meant ensuring good behavior in public).\u00a0Just last week, the group commandeered a pirate ship in a playground along the river. And in the process, we drove a few kiddos away. Oops.<\/p>\n

Slow isn\u2019t my normal speed. I walk quickly, type quickly, clean house quickly, stack wood quickly.\u00a0It\u2019s been good for me to slow down and enjoy the pace and camaraderie of the Walking 4 Wellness trekkers.
\n\"eHOPEIain Thomas writes this:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, \u2018This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd each day, it\u2019s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, \u2018No. This is what\u2019s important.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As we yank our hands back from the urgencies and pressures, there are plenty of things worth slowing down for. In no particular order, consider these 5 as a start:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Outdoor physical activity. <\/strong>\u201cSlow and meandering with multiple photo stops\u201d is par for the course with the Walking-4-Wellness group. And then there\u2019s lingering over coffee and Chai tea afterward as deep friendships are forged.What if<\/em> we could engage in a slow, outdoor physical activity that would allow us to smell the roses along the path and refuel our spirits in the process?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Our people.\u00a0<\/strong>When cancer caused my husband, Gary, to begin losing speed, I put away my to-do lists and slowed down with him. Reflective conversations. Playing Words with Friends. Reading or knitting as he dozed in the hospital bed in the living room. Relishing one more day with my beloved.What if<\/em> we determined to slow down for our spouses, children, and extended families and friends because there\u2019s no guarantee they\u2019ll be with us tomorrow.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Gardening.\u00a0<\/strong>By its nature, gardening is a slowing-down event. As a cancer widow, I live in a beautiful little guest house on the side of a steep hill. My garden currently exists of one hanging flower basket. And although it doesn\u2019t take me long to water and pinch off the dead flowers, after a recent discussion with a friend, I\u2019ve been slowing down and drinking in the pleasure of tending to my garden.\u00a0It\u2019s not simply one more thing to check off my to-do list, but one more way to relish the simple joys of life.<\/span><\/span>What if<\/em> we planted one container\u2014one herb pot, one hanging basket, one leafy houseplant\u2014and in tending to it, we were actually tending to our own souls?<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\"eHOPE<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Cooking.\u00a0<\/strong> My beautiful little guest house has a tiny kitchen with a plug-in hotplate, toaster oven, and small fridge tucked beneath the counter. But for Christmas Eve last year, I was in a vacation rental with a full kitchen. And what fun it was to slow down in the kitchen and spend some time cooking for friends who would be arriving later that evening.What if<\/em> we prepared something special for someone, not a required meal, but something unexpected and out of the ordinary and made in love? And what if that ending up feeding us as well \u2013 physically, mentally, and emotionally?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Reading, journaling, contemplating with gratitude.\u00a0<\/strong>I love to brew a mug of tea. Grab a good book. Sit somewhere outdoors. Read. Contemplate life. Contemplate God and His creation. Capture my thoughts in writing. Add to my gratitude list.What if<\/em> something as simple as reading and capturing our thoughts in writing refilled us to once again have enough love and service to pour out on others?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Nanea Hoffman shared this thought.<\/p>\n

        \u201cNote to self: When you are whizzing through your day and your body is full of stress, a good way to slow your galloping mind is to take one moment to be thankful, even for a tiny goodness.\u00a0Gratitude anchors you to the present. Then you can jump back into your regularly scheduled chaos with a bit of calm in your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

        As surely as we need to\u00a0do <\/em>things, what if we could also take time to simply\u00a0be<\/em>?<\/p>\n

        Yes, things need to get done. Our loved ones need to be tended to. Meals need to be prepared, bills need to be paid, and appointments need to be kept.<\/p>\n

        But what if we could simply be in a book, in an art project, in a leisurely FaceTime conversation.\u00a0Be in the music, in the daydreaming, in the journaling. Be with the people we love because, speaking from experience, we won\u2019t have them with us forever.<\/p>\n

        Marlys Johnson is a cancer widow, author, speaker & blogger. We first met her through her work coordinating St. Charles Medical Center\u2019s Survivorship Program and her beloved husband, Gary \u2013 a CHN Support Volunteer for many years. Her passion for helping others navigate life\u2019s challenges inspires us every day and we are delighted to share her insights.<\/em><\/p>\n

        To read more of Marlys\u2019 work \u2013 and discover her love of all things outdoors \u2013 visit her blog\u00a0Renew | Repurpose<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Forget fast. Finding happiness and creating margin to enjoy our loved ones and find what’s important.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":16,"featured_media":8619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[338,178,349,350],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Slow Down while Dealing with Cancer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michelle, a running coach, approached me. \u201cWhat\u00a0about\u00a0a weekly walking group for cancer survivors and caregivers?\u201d Michelle\u2019s class was officially named Walking for Wellness.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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