Empowering Cancer Patients through Cancer Coaches
Going through cancer can be tough. At first, everything is so new for the person who was diagnosed and their loved ones. You face a lot of decisions to make you never had to before and have to work hard to understand all of the medical information you receive. Cancer changes everything, from what you eat, medications you may now have to take, and to how much physical activity your doctor recommends for you to build your well being. From diagnosis onward, life changes and it can take a toll.
A cancer coach helps you and your family or loved one go through this difficult time, by growing your understanding about how to make these changes, and more, sustainability.
Role of a Cancer Coach
You can think of a cancer coach as a life coach. Cancer coaches will listen to your challenges and experiences you have gone through to understand your predicament and provide support along with appropriate tools and strategies. You will have help in understanding how to deal with the impact cancer on your life and cancer-related stress, along with practical tips you can use right away.
The coaching relationship is a collaborative effort between you and a coach. This relationship is solely based on what you want. Unlike a best friend, mentor, or others in your life, your coach is objective and non-judgmental, and not attached to any outcome or decision you make.
Coaching is a process used to:
- Reduce stress
- Help you create a plan to improve your quality of life
- Increase your self-awareness
- Make decisions more easily
- Forward your decisions into focused and organized action
- Help you be accountable for making changes you want
- Measure progress
- Improve your communication skills
- Empower you
The focus is always on taking you from where you are to where you want to be.
Why Reducing Stress is Critical
Studies now verify long-term stress can actually cause permanent changes to our genes.A� According to an article written by Dr. Brian Lawenda, a�?Stress and Cancer 101: Why Stress Reduction Is Essentiala�?, scientists believe it is the release of hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine that are at the root of the problem. It also takes a major toll on the amount of physical energy you have available to do what you want and need to do each day.
Because stress has the potential to impact six key areas of life, not just your physical and emotional wellbeing. Here at OncoGambit, we found more and more of our clients who received treatment reports from us were following up with questions on quality of life and how to handle the psychosocial impact of stress. There was so much interest that we partnered with an innovative company, Well Beyond This, to offer a free 6-Week stress reduction program.
How are You Empowered by the Cancer Coach?
While your medical provider may have given you specific recommendations for making healthier lifestyle choices such as nutrition and physical activity, it is your coach who can help you create action plans and hold you accountable for reaching your goals, a critical piece to being successful in changing habits. You will in fact be empowered because the strategies that you might want to pursue are based on YOUR health and well-being goals.
They will help you develop a plan to reach your goals, teach you skills and increase knowledge about how to work through obstacles if you come up against a challenge with your plan. If you need a boost in self-confidence or motivation for following through with the plans you will be motivated by the coach and youa��ll learn ways to self-motivate over time. This builds self-confidence, helps you be resilient a�� and all THAT leads to being empowered and taking the lead in your own health and well-being.
How Can You Work With a Cancer Coach?
Great news! For the next 30 days, cancer survivors can join an online 6 weeks coaching program to reduce your stress and empower you while you deal with the challenges of cancer facilitated by cancer coaches at no cost to you. Just click here to learn more and sign up.