Recovery is painful but necessary. Recovery from a traumatic event like cancer doesn’t happen overnight. And that it takes time. Recovery is painfully slow means you are getting better and becoming stronger and the slow progress can be seen as success rather than stagnation.
Recuperation is also crucial for your mental health because it’s easy to become frustrated with how slow progress seems to be happening. It is tedious but essential, and no matter how frustrating or slow it may seem, if you are recovering then that is good news!
Healing is slow because it takes time for the body to mend itself, and patience is an important part of healing. Recovery happens in its own time, not necessarily when it’s convenient or easy for you. The process can take months and even years. Recovery can be frustratingly slow sometimes but never stop trying!
Don’t beat yourself up because recovery seems slow, just keep fighting. It’s okay to have bad days because that’s what they are used to – learning how to cope with them better. With the hope of making it easier in the long run.
Recovery is hard work so remember to look after your mental health as well as your physical health during the process. Be patient because you are recovering at your own pace which means slow progress can still be a success rather than stagnation.
1. Recovery is Painfully Slow
There are no two ways about it. What you put your body through is unfathomable. The unfortunate side to cancer is how much poison we put our body through to kill it. And the treatment is oftentimes worse than the disease itself.
If you are so fortunate to survive the treatment, there is a lot of work that you must put into recovery. And what’s nice about the switch in mindset is it can help give you focus through recovery. Recovery is not a race, it’s about making sure you are on the right track. It is long, slow work that will take months if not years. Recovery is hard work for your mind and body.
You need to be patient because recovery takes time. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight but with time, patience, and hard work there are no limits
2. Recovery takes time
The reason it takes time is that we have become so accustomed to instant gratification. In every aspect of our lives. We can get just about anything our little hearts desire in less than 24 hours. The wealth of knowledge is at our fingertips.
Some say we are living in an unprecedented time. Modern medicine has come so far. But now without its issues. This is why we can’t trust anyone but ourselves to recover as best as we know-how. Here are three actionable ways you can take to start down the road to recovery.
The small lifestyle changes you can start making are in these three categories above.
Counseling
Counseling continues to be an important step in my process. Helping answer my questions and beliefs as well as tools to help cope with the anxieties that come along with Survivorship.
Exercise
Excercise (or sport) has been an important part of my life. Snowboarding and Mountain Biking have been key in recovery. When I challenge myself while I’m cruising down the hill or pedaling new and local trails, how it feels after is so addictive. So satisfying!
Diet
I can’t tell you how much advice I have gotten from people about diet in particular. Most of it comes from a place of concern which I greatly appreciate. At this point, what I have learned leads me to know that it’s a lot more complicated than now eating sugar or the vegan diet is best. Cancer can’t survive in an alkaline state or cancer feeds on sugar!
The reality is it’s all of the above is true. A clean diet has been where I have found that I am happiest. My body works best. Have I cut out sugar? No! Do I still eat red meat? Yes! Has my consumption of organic, non-GMO’s fruit and vegetables increased? Absolutely! Is there room for improvement? You betcha!
There is always going to be room for improvement. A big shift was my approach to food. Cooking in particular. Not eating out as I have in the past. And the extra bonus is helping my family do better as well.
3. Never stop trying! Recovery is necessary!
If you were to ask me what the number one way someone stops in the middle of the recovery is, I would have to say discouragement. It is easy to not see results when you are one to even six months in. Do not feel like you are getting stronger, to feel improvement. This is where patience comes in. A change of mindset and lifestyle.
The easy way out is to stop. The problem is the guilt you will feel for quitting. Of course, there are going to be times where it’s difficult. There’s always too much going on. And when you look at the macro picture of recovery, this is something that can take a lifetime! Recovery is long and hard work, but it’s well worth it. Recovery builds on time with each visit back to the doctors.
It does not stop there. Recovery can keep going for years! It could be ten to twenty years before you are fully recovered. Recovery will always be an ongoing process. After reflecting on my second bout of Lymphoma, recovery never ends!
I hope that this helps other people understand that recovery takes time and patience. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight but with time, patience, and hard work there are no limits! Recovery is long, slow work that will take months if not years.
4. Be patient because you are recovering at your own pace which means slow progress can still be a success rather than stagnation.
The reason why recovery needs to be thought of individually is each one of us has a slower or faster progress map. A lot of it depends on how healthy or strong you were going into treatment. Regardless, it takes time!
There is no one-size-fits-all when It comes to Recovery. The only thing that is important is the importance of the effort and the shifted mindset to enjoying recovery. It takes time and patience. And can be a lifetime of work.
Recovery is NOT stagnate!
Recovery is painfully slow with lots of highs and lows, but with each step forward drawing motivation to keep going. It builds on itself daily as we challenge ourselves more and more every day!
5. Recovery is hard work
it is highly important to remember to look after your mental health as well as your physical health during the process of Recovery. Because recovery can be a long and difficult process, it’s important to reflect on your struggles as well as your success.
During Recovery, focus more on the positives as they happen. Recovery is not always easy but the reward of feeling better every day will constantly keep you motivated!
6. Recovery happens in its own time, not when it’s convenient or easy for you.
Look, recovery is painfully slow. Recovery takes time, and sometimes it may not seem like you’re making any progress at all. Be patient because recovery happens in its own time. This feels incredibly difficult in 2021. There are so many moving parts in our lives and things happen so fast that we can get caught up in thinking that recovery should happen just as fast!
Conclusion
All of the chemotherapy and radiation do a number to every part of your body. All the way down to the cellular and genetic levels. And because of this, the path of recovery takes time. It will test your patience! The process is different for everyone and isn’t always easy or convenient for the person recovering.
Recovery might take months to years depending on what type of trauma you’ve experienced. This can be difficult for loved ones and caregivers as well. Another reason why Patience is so important in the recovery process.
Recovery is hard work, which means your mental health needs some tending too as well. Remember to look after yourself as well as your physical health during this difficult journey towards healing. You are recovering at a pace that works best for you despite how slow it seems sometimes, so never stop trying!