Mindfulness is the practice of slowing down to pay compassionate and conscious attention to something in the moment. There is growing interest in using mindfulness techniques to help children with cancer cope with trauma, pain, fatigue, sadness, anxiety, and anger. Mindfulness may also help cancer survivors cope with cognitive late effects by helping with focus, executive functioning, and social-emotional learning.
Here are some mindfulness techniques to try:
- Yoga: Pay attention to your body’s sensations and movements.
- Mindfulness of emotions: Allow yourself to feel rather than push emotions away. Accept and label uncomfortable emotions without fighting them.
- Noticing micro-moments: Find moments throughout the day to reset your sense of purpose and focus.
- Breathing meditation:Sit with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing.
- Walking meditation:Walk while being mindful of your sensations and surroundings.
- Guided imagery: Create peaceful images and scenarios using your imagination and senses.
- Body-scan meditation:Focus on one area of your body at a time, paying attention to the sensations you experience.
Getting started is simple:
- Find a quiet location and comfortable position
- Identify a goal you want to achieve
- Set an intention
- Observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations
- Pay attention to your surroundings
- Focus on breathing
- Start with short durations and increase as you become comfortable
Meet Norah
Norah, now 11, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was just 2 years-old. Over time, Norah started to get anxious about procedures and trips to the hospital. The anxiety would not just happen during a procedure – it would build as she anticipated appointments coming up. Her mom, Holly, decided to reach out to a therapist for help, and the therapist introduced mindfulness techniques.
Norah has been taught a deep breathing exercise called five-finger breathing to help her when she feels anxious. Holly explained, “Norah will hold one hand out and trace her finger around her hand, inhaling when she traces up and exhaling when she traces down. This helps her focus on her breaths and distracts her from the anxious thoughts.”
The therapist also introduced grounding techniques. Holly explained, “Norah will focus on finding something to see, feel, taste, touch, and smell when she feels anxious. This allows her to use her senses as a distraction from anxious thoughts.” Grounding techniques connect her to the present to reduce fear, it’s refocusing to the present moment. This allows Norah to turn her attention to her five senses to calm herself.
Holly wants parents to know: “You aren’t alone and you haven’t done anything wrong. Cancer isn’t easy for anyone.” Through her experiences, she has learned that “children’s fears and feelings are valid; it doesn’t work when you tell a child not to be scared or feel a certain way. Validating feelings, allowing Norah to express her feelings, and using coping skills have worked much better for us. Being heard is very important.” Holly recommends exploring mindfulness techniques, music therapy, reaching out to the hospital’s child life specialist, and using play therapy to help a child if they are feeling anxious.
Children with cancer and their families often experience anxiety, depression, and a range of emotional trauma associated with diagnoses and treatment. Mindfulness techniques are a therapeutic option that can be introduced to improve both physical and psychosocial well-being. For more information on coping with the emotions of childhood cancer, click here.