One of the challenges cancer patients face is maintaining a positive outlook on life. How we view the world is strongly connected to how we view ourselves. If you feel good about yourself, that positive feeling colors everything in your life. You feel comfortable in your own skin and confident that you can meet the day’s challenges with success.
There’s a strong connection between self-esteem and physical appearance. When cancer and cancer treatments strip you of energy, appetite and even your hair, it’s hard to feel beautiful which can send your self-esteem plummeting. You know how low you feel when you have a bad hair day. Well, every day is a bad hair day for cancer patients — and loss of hair is just part of the problem. Cancer and cancer treatments can turn skin sallow and pale or make it blotchy and more prone to blemishes. Fatigue can leave dark circles under the eyes, and pain can make the face look pinched. When chemotherapy causes hair and eyebrows to fall out, the face can look blank and undefined.
To counter the loss of beauty and boost the self-esteem of cancer patients, Look Good Feel Better was founded to support and encourage cancer patients to rediscover their natural beauty. Sponsored by the Personal Care Products Foundation in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, Professional Beauty Association and National Cosmetology Association, the program sponsors beauty makeovers and esteem-building workshops through local cancer organizations. It also offers an online library of beauty tips for women and men designed to show cancer patients how to minimize the effects of cancer on their appearance.
A positive attitude can help people with chronic disease and may aid cancer patients. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College found that people with heart disease, hypertension and asthma could positively affect their health by maintaining a positive attitude.To give your attitude a positive boost:
Listen to upbeat music. Elevate your mood by listening to music with a happy, energetic beat. If you’re feeling stressed, music with a soothing rhythm can have a similarly positive effect on your attitude.
Count your blessings. Concentrate on the people, things and events in your life for which you are grateful. Negative thoughts fade when you concentrate on happy ones.
Express your love and thanks. Tell family and friends that you love them. Thank people who have made a difference in your life. Mend fences that need mending. Say all those things you’ve always meant to tell your loved ones. It is amazing how comforting words can be — for you and those you love.
Create a happiness stash. Laughter is the best medicine. Collect things that make you smile or laugh: funny movies, humorous books, great photos, websites of your favorite comedians, hilarious YouTube videos, etc. When your spirit needs a boost, visit your stash.
Immerse yourself in at nature. Go outdoors if you can, sit by a window or watch a nature video. Tree leaves blowing in the wind, birds flitting about a bird feeder, bees buzzing between flowers, puffy clouds scudding across the sky — the sights, sounds, beauty and majesty of nature are a balm for the soul.
