The decision to undergo chemotherapy was something that I considered deeply.  I gathered all the information I needed to make the decision.  I did the research; spoke to my doctors; considered the side effects; weighed up the pros and cons; had all my questions answered, then I stepped forward into it and didn’t look back or second guess my decision.  Positive thinking tips and techniques were essential during this time.

When I stepped forward, I had made the decision and trusted that it was the right decision for me at that time.  I never questioned it.  I didn’t do anymore research after I had answered all the questions I had.  With the decision made, I now needed to line up my mindset to match.

I needed to adopt the mindset of a thriver, even though I was still being classified as a “patient”.  What I had decided was that doctors, family and friends could give me any label they wanted, but then I still had free choice to decide what mindset I adopted.  By the way, I never like being labeled, especially as a “patient”!

In order to create the thriver mindset, I needed to separate myself from my circumstances and use the framework I had mapped out of what success was to me and how I could achieve it.  In the end, I came up with a few simple actions to support my mindset framework, that I could take and that I believed would see me not only survive, but thrive through treatment for breast cancer.

These 4 simple positive thinking tips and techniques can help you create a thriver’s mindset even during chemotherapy.

1. Read about success stories.

From the time I was diagnosed, I seemed to be a beacon for people to unload about everyone they had known or heard about that had died of cancer.  I know that this was their fear talking, but still I seemed to be only getting negative information at every turn and I was looking for proof that other women had lived through breast cancer.  I was given a book called Spirited Women by Petrea King and I read it cover to cover, as it proved to me that women had survived through treatment for breast cancer and if they could do it, so could I.

 

2. See chemotherapy as a positive action toward the future I wanted.

Having done all of the research, I understood what the chemotherapy drugs were and what the purpose of them was.  I could have stepped into the mindset that they were toxic chemicals and the negatives that went along with that.  Instead, I had chosen to step into the belief that the chemotherapy drugs where my “elixir of life”.  The chemotherapy drugs would be my ticket to good health and that was the only thought I would entertain.

 

3. Step into meditation as an avenue to a thriving life.

My mind was always racing at a thousand miles an hour, which was the reason I thought that I would suck at meditation.  I bought a meditation “tape”, again by  Petrea King and from the first time I listened to it, I was hooked.  I started to slowly quiet my mind of any negative thoughts, which enabled positive thought to come in.  I meditated daily, but the most significant step for me was that I meditated during every chemotherapy session.

I meditated on the drugs traveling to every cell of my body and finding and destroying every cancer cells there were.  I wanted to use my time wisely and chemotherapy took a few hours, so it gave me a great opportunity to do something positive for myself.  This meditation put me in the mindset that I was doing something positive for myself and my future and that was the energy I wanted to live in.

 This Deep Breathing exercise can help you get started.  

4. Imagine and feel a positive long-term future was possible for me.

During chemotherapy, part of the meditation I would do would also enable me to imagine a positive long-term future.  As I was 38 at the time, I would visualize my life at 40, at 50, at 60, and feel what it was like to live in that future.

I would see myself as a grandmother opening birthday presents with my grandchildren on my knee.  I would visualize with every sense what it was like to be in that future.  What was the room like in detail?   What did the couch feel like to touch?  What did the flowers in the vase on the side table smell like?  What could I taste?  How soft was the fabric on the children’s clothes or the cushions on the couch?

For all intent and purpose I was living there, regardless of where I actually was.   I could see, touch it, smell it and feel it as real as I could experience anything in the present.

Through this meditation, I understood and believed that a long term future was not only possible, but it was also realistic.  If I could see it and feel it, I knew I could create it.

 

At the end of the day, take responsibility for the mindset you create, no matter what your circumstances.  During chemotherapy, consciously choose the mindset you want to take into your future.  You can choose to live in a negative mindset or you can choose to live in a positive mindset – no matter what your circumstances, you’re choosing how you view it.

You can choose to use these simple steps to create a positive mindset even during chemotherapy or you can choose not to – the choice is yours!

Please leave a comment on what do you during chemotherapy to support yourself?

I would urge you to take responsibility for how you spend your time during chemotherapy, and at all other times.   Use these positive thinking tips and techniques to help you create the positive outcome you’re looking for, rather than letting fear take over you and creating negative thoughts that don’t see a healthy future as being possible.

Love Gai

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