When You’re Healing, Your Mind Is as Important as Your Body
The following is adapted from The Grace of Cancer by Veronica Villanueva.
It would have been easy to blame cancer for my misery, but if I’m honest, I was miserable before I was diagnosed with cancer. I lived for years in an unhappy marriage, and I put unnecessary pressure on myself to be the perfect Super Mom. I was living on a negative and fearful autopilot.
If I’m even more honest, I’m convinced that my negative mindset is what caused my cancer in the first place. Statistically, fewer than 20 percent of cancer cases result from DNA damage. The other 80 percent or more are caused by poor diet and generally unhealthy lifestyles.
My life—and my cancer—turned around when I decided to change my mindset. Instead of asking why I was so unlucky, I asked what lessons having cancer could teach me. In your life, it is not the external events themselves that cause distress. It is the way you think about these events.
Your body reacts to the thoughts you feed it, and the only way to heal is to start this journey with a positive mindset. Every word that comes out of your mouth, every thought that enters your mind, everything you do, and everything you eat has to align with your healing. There are no exceptions!
Positivity Is Key to Healing
There is no way to trick your body or take shortcuts. Understand that your diet is not just about what you eat. It’s the people that you surround yourself with, what you listen to, and what you read and watch. In order for healing to be possible, you have to stay consistent. You must believe in the powerful connection between your mind, body, and soul.
When we hear the word “cancer,” we often jump straight to death. That is the default for most people, but it does not have to be. You can change your default associations and assumptions. In fact, you have to if you want to heal.
Naturally, you will experience negative thoughts, especially when you receive your diagnosis. You are human after all. However, your mindset matters. Commit to taking positive actions, which means you cannot continue with those same disempowering thoughts.
This does not mean ignoring them when they arise. Instead, you can acknowledge your negative thoughts and replace them with an empowering set of emotions. Your thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and reactions are all within your control. The truth is this: positivity is all up to you!
Train your mind to see the positive in every situation. Your happiness depends on the quality of your thoughts. We cannot choose our external circumstances; challenges and unpleasant situations are inevitable in life. For example, you cannot control your cancer diagnosis, but you can control how you respond to that diagnosis. Once you accept your circumstances, you can change the way you think about them. Maybe, just maybe, your disease is trying to teach you something.
Dealing with the Negative Thoughts
I dealt with a lot of my negative thoughts by educating myself. Information should empower you and propel you forward. The more you see and understand the ways in which you are healing yourself, the more you will embrace the concept as a whole.
In the same way, you go to the gym to strengthen your muscles, you must work hard to reinforce your positive mindset. In the first week of working out, you probably will not notice much definition in your body. However, if you stay consistent and disciplined, you might start to notice your biceps toning up. You will start to feel stronger. The more you practice positivity, the more you can build your muscle of hope, mental strength, and agility.
You cannot reverse disease without first reversing the way you think. This process starts with mindfulness and being aware of your thoughts. Do not let negativity run rampant through your mind! Every time you catch yourself thinking negatively, you have an opportunity to reverse that thinking. You can rewire your mind to think good thoughts. Start by feeling gratitude. You are still alive, after all.
You can learn to shift your thoughts from negative to positive like any other skill, but it takes practice, being mindful, and living in the moment. It takes recognizing the words that are coming out of your mouth and the thoughts crossing through your head.
Decide to Live
When you’re healing, your goal should not be to survive. It should be to LIVE! When you adopt a positive mindset, you are actively choosing to live a phenomenal life.
When I made the decision to live, I wanted to be healthier than I was before my diagnosis. My past mistakes and negativity were no longer part of my formula. When you choose to live, you must be open to transformation and everything it entails. Your old way of living led to sickness, so now it is time to change directions.
As you continue along your healing journey, remind yourself of your why. Imagine what your dream life would look like. Think of it in the same way you might picture your “goal body” when you start going to the gym. You might imagine it, or even print out a photo and hang it on your wall for motivation. On easy days, you might not even look at the picture because your goal is already in your head. On days where you feel like quitting, you can refer to the image and remind yourself why you are working out in the first place.
Picture the life you want to live and refer to that image daily.
Personally, I have always loved the beach, heat, and sun. When I decided to live, I envisioned myself living on the beach and looking out over the ocean every day. Now, that is exactly what I am doing. I knew I wanted nature to be a big part of my daily life. I made my dream a reality because I believed in myself and manifested my goals.
Now that you have made your decision to live, it is time to believe in it.
A Worthwhile Journey
You will need to balance your body and boost your immune system to prevent cancer from thriving inside you, but your mind is just as important to your healing journey as your body. Focus on mastering an open and expansive mind.
Once you make the decision to live, all of the tools are at your disposal. The more you educate yourself, the more you and your team can create aggressive, personalized protocols that work for you. After you start, I encourage you to keep adding to your approach and continuously evolve your disease-beating strategy.
Rather than stressing, allow the possibility of a transformed life to excite you. When you begin your healing journey, your energy will surge, and as soon as you assemble the pieces, you will witness magic and miracles.
For more advice on the mind-body connection, you can find The Grace of Cancer on Amazon.
Veronica Villanueva discovered her “why” after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2016. She knows she is alive today to share grace, blessings, and the lessons that cancer has taught her. Her “incurable” disease gave her the gift of knowing herself, loving herself, and sharing herself with others in a profound way. Through her work as a trained Cordon Bleu chef and certified health coach, Veronica aims to inspire others to embrace a holistic lifestyle built on a commitment to growth, eating healthy foods, taking the time to create memorable moments, and of course, fostering loving relationships.
