Hester Hill Schnipper’s columns present useful advice in a straightforward and comforting way. This gifted social worker (Chief of Oncology Social Work at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) did it again with her summer column in CancerToday, titled, A Space for Self-Care.
The tips were written in the context of recovery from cancer treatment, but they apply if you’ve had any stress of any sort in your life (hello? does anyone today not have stress?). She describes self-care as an ongoing process and presumes that most of us “can find ways to better respect and heal our bodies and souls.”
My three faves are:
For your to-do list, find tasks you can set aside, do later, do more simply, or never do at all.
After making a list of activities that give you pleasure, commit to doing at least one each day.
“Find ways to include activities in your daily routine that work your lungs and muscles.” This means looking for opportunities to safely add steps, lifts, pushes, pulls, and deep breaths as you go about your usual activities. For example, intentionally park far from destination buildings, take stairs instead of elevators, and carry items instead of pushing them on a dolly.
Schnipper concludes: “Developing new habits and learning what to do to please yourself takes time for all of us, so indulge as you consider the possibilities. You are worth it.”
Emma Mathes
Healing Hope—Through and Beyond Cancer (Harpham 2018)
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