Good days and bad days
Expect the unexpected
Let's go back to the GPS navigation analogy for a moment. As a reminder, we compared palliative care to GPS navigation for your serious health illness. Anyone who has used GPS knows that sometimes you end up off the beaten path. As good as the technology is, it will sometimes lead you to a dirt road or even stop giving you instructions altogether! Living with a serious illness will sometimes feel like you’re in unfamiliar territory. Palliative care will give you more tools to help you carry on with daily life.
The tips below are a starting point for helping you manage the harder days of your illness, adapted from several resources:
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The Carrillo Kern Center for Integrative Therapies ensures patients and their families have all of the mind, body and spiritual support and services they need throughout their cancer journey.
Other ideas for managing stress:
- Find a relaxation technique that works for you, such as meditation.
- Get enough sleep. Talk to your care team and palliative care team if your symptoms interfere with sleep.
- Give yourself permission to be active when you feel up to it and to rest and slow down when you're not feeling your best. This sounds easy, but this may be a "new normal" you are getting used to.
- Get outside on the days you feel better. You don't need to run a marathon or walk 10 miles to benefit from spending time outside.
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A growing body of research suggests getting outside can improve mental health and sharpen cognition. Set a realistic goal of going for a short walk or even just sitting outside and reading a book or listening to music.