Stress Relief

Stress is a common thing in our society. We feel it at work, in school, when visiting friends, and even with family. It’s hard to get away from it since it’s all around us. Although it seems to be an expected part of life, chronic stress may lead to all types of ailments. My daughter, Crystal, felt it contributed to her Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis. Of course, we’ll never know for sure. Like many of us, her doctor told her she didn’t do anything to cause the cancer, and there’s nothing she can do to make it better. Whether or not this is true, Crystal has decided to keep her life as stress-free as possible.

Crystal was stressed when she was diagnosed

At the time Crystal got cancer, she had just gotten a new job - this was stressful, even if in a good way. She had to wake up early and wasn’t able to go out at night, because of her hectic schedule. As a young girl in a new town, this was difficult and stressful. She also had a boss that was difficult to deal with - even more stress. Of course, there was the stress of finding a new apartment and moving her things across the country. And, these were her new stressors. She was moving away from a whole different set of stress issues. Some people are able to take stress in stride, but Crystal didn’t handle it as well then.

It wasn’t long before the symptoms started. Crystal knew something was wrong, but her first doctor misdiagnosed her. It took a while before she went to a second one and found out what her symptoms were telling her - Hodgkin lymphoma. Coming home for treatments, taking leave from her job, and getting out of her lease led to even more stress. She was a bundle of nerves when she finally came home.

During her time at home, Crystal had time to rest. Of course, she was in treatments which took a toll on her, but she started to take some time for her. Crystal did some videos for her job and found out she liked it, so she started doing more videos on YouTube. She felt relief when she watched what others were going through because she knew she wasn't alone. She felt doing videos may help someone else to know they weren’t alone and can get through this and it will be ok.

Finding way to relax

The biggest thing Crystal did was start to find ways to relax. Of course, not working and being able to be home and taken care of helped, but she also started to change her lifestyle. She knew this was important and really started to look into it. Even if it wasn’t one of the things that lead to her cancer, it would help her in other ways. Some of the things she looked into and tried were:

• Acupuncture
• Massages
• Breathing techniques
• Walking

Crystal enjoyed walking so much she decided to try jogging. Jogging led to running and she was hooked. Crystal liked running so much she became a run coach. Running is the thing that continues to get her through the rough times.

Stress is hard on the body. Find a stress reliever that helps and make it a habit. It will help your stress level and you may even find your new hobby.

Wishing you health & happiness.