Does stress cause cancer? Can stress cause cancer to come back?
Does stress cause cancer? Or cancer recurrence?
Does stress cause cancer?
It’s a question I often get asked. Anecdotal evidence would have you believe there’s a link. It seems like more than a coincidence that nearly all the cancer patients I speak to have experienced a major stress prior to their diagnosis. Or have had long term, insidious stress.
Stress eats away at you. But can it cause cancer?
There is no proven link between stress and cancer
Science says no.
There is no proven link.
A little bit of stress can actually be good for us, in the right circumstances. But there is no denying that long term stress causes long term health issues.
The oncologists I’ve spoken to agree that while stress may not cause cancer, it can certainly make managing treatment, recovery and side effects much harder. When our systems are stressed, we cannot recover well or optimise our health.
But long term stress is not good for us on many levels
So I try really hard to manage it and not get sucked in.
But these last few weeks have felt like a lot. A combination of family stuff, health stuff, work stuff and kids on school holidays has made me feel like the balance has tipped in the wrong direction.
I’ve not been sleeping well. And when I’m overwhelmed or anxious, my head goes straight into a cancer-y black hole of fear of regression. I had a lot of therapy to learn to deal with it. And normally, I manage it well. But when I’m stressed, I start catastrophising and death planning, which is a sure sign I need to take a deep breath.
Being chronically stressed has a negative effect on our health overall
Today, I didn’t find time for me until this evening. It felt like the day was over and I nearly didn’t go. But I took myself out for an evening walk.
It was so beautiful! I wish I did this every evening. I made myself walk slowly, listen, feel, breathe deeply, and connect with myself. A moving meditation.
I feel like a different person.
It’s amazing what a difference an hour can make.
I try my best to reduce stress and help prevent cancer recurrence