Taking Care of You
- Actress Kristen Bell, 40, is empathetic to everyone going through hard times right now, and reminds her followers that she’s “rooting for them” on her Instagram.
- The mother and wife, who has been a cancer caregiver to husband Dax Shepard’s step-father who lost a battle with prostate cancer, is continuously spreading positivity (and sometimes dancing around her kitchen), making her page a safe and motivational space for anyone to feel a little more uplifted on heavier days.
- Experts tell SurvivorNet the power of a strong mindset while going through cancer can affect a patient’s overall survival.
The Good Place star is continuously spreading positivity on her social channels with her inspiring words and cheery demeanor; sometimes all you need is a simple motivational message when you wake up to seize the day and give you little more bounce in your step.
Read MoreBell, who has two kids with actor Dax Shepard, Lincoln, 7, and Delta, 6, seems to know what everyone needs to hear, yet there is such a sincerity to her message. Take care of yourself.
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The cancer community needs these frequent reminders. People living with cancer know that many days are indeed heavy or rough. Just knowing that there are caring individuals in the world that are setting the intention of lifting others up can’t help but bring a fuzzy feeling.
Related: Actor Kristen Bell Honors Cancer Caregivers: 'I Know What it's Like to Lose Someone'
Whether you are a cancer survivor, cancer caregiver (Bell and Shepard lost his step-father to prostate cancer and his father to lung cancer), or are just simply going through a rough time like many in the world are right now, it’s an important reminder to be the best you you can be. We only have one body and one life, and a positive mindset can make a difference in how you tackle life’s daily demands. A little effort goes a long way, and a healthier, refreshed mind can help manage stress.
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And if that didn’t perk you up, surely this will put a smile on your face. Bell also recently shared a video of herself doing a happy dance in her PJs (even with a cup of coffee in hand), expressing that this is how she feels to finally be back at work.
Los Angeles has been relaxing lockdown regulations and businesses are easing back to life, along with the entertainment industry. The petite actress bumps, grinds, (and gets low in a lovably dorky way) to Lecrae & Andy Mineo’s “Coming in Hot,” with her dry cleaning hanging on a cabinet in the background.
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Maintaining a Positive Headspace
Experts say that trying to keep a healthy mindset can make a difference in coping with stress while going through cancer.
Sarah Kelly, an oncology social worker, expresses the massive blow that comes after an initial cancer diagnosis. “When someone is sort of struck or hit with that shock of initial diagnosis,” she tells SurvivorNet, “which I’ve talked about before as being a trauma, it’s hard to know. Your mind can go completely blank.”
She talks about the body’s natural response. “If we think of fight or flight or freeze, freeze as a big one that happens, where there’s like, ‘oh, my gosh. I have no idea what to do.'”
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life, is associated with survival,” Dr. Dana Chase from Arizona Oncology says. “Meaning, better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes.” This can often sound cliché to many cancer patients, but many experts have experienced it firsthand, and we’ve all heard many miraculous survivor stories.
Related: 7 Cancer Survivors and Thrivers Tell Us How They Keep a Positive Attitude
“Working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment, your emotional well-being, definitely working on those things and making them better are important and can impact your survival.”
SurvivorNetTV Presents: Maintaining a Positive Headspace Through Cancer
Dance Like No One’s Watching
Whether it’s hip hop, or classic rock ‘n’ roll that’s your jam, many can benefit from embracing their inner kid and inner rock star. Channel Kristen Bell in her kitchen, and the good news is you don’t have to share it to millions of followers. Dance like no one’s watching. You can be as goofy and as silly as you want when no one is around. A little fun and exercise will help give a mental boost, and help shake off some stress.
“Without air guitar, my treatment would have been incredibly sad.” Breast cancer survivor Marqina Iliev-Piselli tells SurvivorNet of how she got through darker days. “Air guitar was the thing that brought me through. I recommend it highly. Air guitar is all about creating a persona and making people believe that persona and come into your world for that 60 seconds.”
She literally air-guitared her way through chemo. “And that saved my spirit. And it makes it so that I don’t look back on that time of fear,” she says. “Those are the times when my friends came together for me. So before cancer, air guitar was just a way to express myself.”
She says it was basically a way for her to still dip into her “old goofy self.”
Through this battle, don’t lose track of you.
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