Things Cancer Made Me Say

01/04/2022

Jan 3, 2022.

Today makes 8 years being cancer-free. I’m over the fu***ng moon about it.

During the last 8 years, I’ve noticed more often than not people either love or hate change. There is no in between.

I definitely didn’t like change. At first, I didn’t want to give up the stories I was telling myself and the idea of who I was. But, with the help of therapy, I decided to take a stance and picked a side. I decided to love change and make uncertainty a belief system. It challenges me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I realize I alone can’t change the world, but I can change my world which allows others to see inside of it. And then, hopefully, I can influence them to embrace change within themselves too.

I don’t know what I’m doing but I do know I can’t do it alone so thanks to everyone who’s here cheering me along.

💙

03/26/2021

IMPRINTING⁠

“I can handle this even if I’m overwhelmed and embarrassed and flooded with emotion. I can trust myself to handle this.”⁠
⁠
I used to tell myself this as a way to imprint in my brain that I was capable of making it through to the other side. Anytime I noticed a thought, I’d switch it to this one ☝️

- Jaylee⁠
⁠

02/25/2021

Movement. The easiest way to complete the stress cycle.

A lot of the time, we think that because we’ve dealt with the stressor, we’ve successfully handled the stress, but that’s not true. They are two separate things.

A stressor is what activates the stress response within your body. A stressor can be anything. Something you hear, or witness or imagine. And, there are external stressors too. Work, kids, traffic, you name it.

Stress, on the other hand, is a neurological and physiological shift that happens in your body when you encounter one of those stressors. Stress is a cascade of hormones that move throughout your body to help you stay alive and deal with that stressor.

A lot of the time we think if we deal with the stressor we’ve managed our stress but that’s just not the case. Your brain may know you’ve finished up that stressful project at work but your body doesn’t.

We need to do things to complete the stress cycle because if we don’t, it builds inside our body and no one needs that s**t laying around.

Stressors and stress are inevitable which is why it’s so important to manage them. I started skipping in March of last year when quarantine hit as a way to move the stress chemistry through my body and complete the cycle.

Don’t wanna skip, that’s cool… walking works just as well. Fresh air for the win. And, if you want to dive deeper into stress and its cycle, I highly recommend the book Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Life-changing!

Drop a comment below and let me know what you do to complete the cycle.

Also 👏👏👏

02/11/2021

THE 🔑 TO LEARNING⁠

The key to learning is connecting what you don’t know to something inside of you because if you try to connect two things you don't know, that knowledge stays outside of you forever.
⁠
With that being said... do any of you listen to podcasts? Do you have any favourites? I freakin love them. There is so much I don't know and it fascinates me that we have access to learning almost anything. ⁠
⁠
My favourite types of podcasts are on the mind, mindset, meditation and neuroscience. I love stories about people all over the world that I wouldn't otherwise hear if it wasn't for podcasts. And some of the creativity... 🤯. One of the shows I listen to, the host interviews everyday objects. Things like a lamppost, a mirror and even a red balloon. The character development and use of language to describe their feelings is hilarious and helpful. Especially helpful if you’re someone who may struggle to find the words.

I mostly love shows that make me feel good and episodes that make me laugh out loud. And, I want to share them with you.⁠
⁠
So, I'm putting together a newsletter that will be going out once a month. In it, you'll find direct links to some pretty wonderful and cool stuff. Stories designed to make you think, ask questions and expand your mind.⁠

In time, I hope to build a collection of resources for YOU. I hope to RE:MIND you of all the tools, tips and tricks available to help you manage this adventure we call life. Even if you can’t get yourself under the Lucia N°⁠03, I want to help you feel supported and understood.

This is the beginning of something awesome and I'm so pumped to have community and conversation with you all.
⁠
To sign up, shoot me a DM with your email address or head to the link in the bio.

https://bit.ly/2MXqpRB

10/26/2020

Important S**t. Stressors Vs Stress. What’s the difference and what we can do to complete the stress response cycle.

11/28/2019

In November 2014, about a week after I found out I had cancer, I went to Whistler for a few days.

While in Whistler, I decided to get a tattoo. I had been thinking about it for a bit but just hadn't done it. It was the two words I AM. I remember telling my friend Desiree about it while we were in Kelowna the previous summer. I told her I wanted it as a reminder to be what I needed to be at that moment. I am, for whatever moment, needed a little encouragement. Since then, I've been playing fill in the blank every time I look down at the inside of my wrist.

I've done a lot of mental health work over the last five years, and even though I didn't know it then, that tattoo was part of the process. When I look back now, I think deep down, I always knew what I needed, but I hadn't taken the time to listen. I didn't know what I believed or valued. My thoughts were moving so fast in my mind that life felt like a blur — one giant reaction to what was going on around me. I didn't realize how unhappy I was.

So, I started to figure out what I believed about myself and then I got up close and personal with my self-talk. Which brings me back to my tattoo, I AM. It played a big part in my mindset shift.

I mention this because now that I'm almost six years out from cancer, I'm able to look back and piece things together better and I AM Capable played a big part in the self-talk I needed at that moment.

That's where I started. With I am capable. I replayed it over and over in my mind. When I was in the beginning stages of cancer, I repeated I am capable. When I went through IVF, I was capable. When I had surgery and chemo, I was capable. During the nerve damage I said over and over, I am capable, you can handle this. I told myself I was, and then I started to believe It

Look, I don't know what you're capable of, but I ask you to keep turning towards the sun every day to figure it out. I've been so far on the other side of things, and I've turned it all around. You can too. And, if you choose to make the shift, if you decide to look inside yourself, I guarantee it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

11/07/2019

6 years ago today, I was given news that would change the direction of my life.

How beautiful -
to look back at the storm
and the chaos and
watch yourself rising
from the wreckage.

When was the last time you honoured your own strength?

-April Green

06/03/2018

11/15/2015

11/14/2015

Today is November 14th. Exactly two years to the day I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I'll have an update later today. So many incredible changes. Life is the greatest adventure.