Posted in Stress Management for the Mind and for the Body

In the world of emotional well-being, self-compassion shines as a beacon of hope. Studies have shown that it can make a real difference in how we cope with tough times. But, most of these studies only looked at self-compassion at one point in time, leaving a gap in our understanding of how it affects our future emotional well-being. This study, which followed cancer patients over time, aims to fill in that gap. We want to see how self-compassion at the start of their cancer journey might infl...

What are tai chi and qigong?
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise that seeks to harmonise the mind and body. Commonly described as “meditation in motion, practising tai chi involves going through a series of movements slowly and consciously. Tai Chi has aspects of the physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual. Qigong is taken from the Tai Chi form. In both, we focus on finding our centre of balance and circulating our vital energy. Tai chi and qigong use the physical for...

Cancer affects everyone in your family. But how it affects each person may differ. You may notice that your family routine changes during treatment. And your relationships with your family might also change. Cancer and your parents
Your parents might seem overprotective or try to take charge, whether you live at home or have not lived with them for years. They might ask a lot of questions or give advice you did not ask for. If your parents act this way, it might help to remember that they pr...

Work-related stressors, poor sleep, and emotional disturbances have been correlated with adult-related cardiovascular disease. Large bodies of research indicate that chronic stress, whether experienced in early life or as an adult, is linked to increased coronary heart disease risk. In particular, childhood adversity, including physical and sexual abuse in childhood, has been shown to relate to higher morbidity of cardiovascular events. Racism and discrimination create additional daily ...

The history of qi gong dates back 5,000 years in China. The I Ching (Book of Changes), written about 1122 BCE, first introduced the idea of qi (vital energy). The idea of man’s relationship with the universe and the integration of the three natural energies – heaven, earth, and man, was explored during this time. The founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, wrote about breathing techniques in his Tao Te Ching. Chinese medicine was evolving now and the ideas of qi, yin and yang, meditation, and...

Hope can be a major tool of empowerment and an element for sustaining life and the will to live. We hope for better times. We hope for remission. We hope to prolong life by averting death through medical treatment and supportive care. Or, if disease progresses, we hope to control pain, side effects, and suffering.  We hope for treatments that can cure or palliate and make the disease stable. The Oxford Dictionary defines hope as “to entertain expectations of something desired.&rdq...