If commitments, meetings, appointments and social gathering to-do's are creating stress in your day and interfering with your healing schedule - simplify your life. 
Many of times we find ourselves imprisoned by the bars of "too much" and it becomes suffocating. We are a society of doing-all-the-things. I'm no exception. Saying no is hard and takes thought and effort (a lot) on my part. I want to do it all, I want to help, I want to attend, I want to expand - but, I've learned to not do-it-all at the expense of my health.
Doing LESS is MORE fulfilling, actually. When your day allows you to complete whatever it is that your treatment protocol calls for - and you still feel like you can take a deep, refreshing and relaxed breath at the end of the day - you've mastered your action plan. Each and every cell in your body will thank you by working as hard as they can to eliminate the cancer because they aren't weighted down with the stress of "too much".
DANGERS OF TOO MUCH
The stress and overwhelm of TOO MUCH: information, things to do, people to please, activities to complete, events to attend, documentaries to watch lead to overstimulation of certain areas of the brain signaling the cascade of messages that fuel cancer. It's not helpful and the load needs to be lightened to make room for relaxation, growth, inspiration and healing.
WHERE TO START
At home. Pick a room and declutter. Having less allows you to slow down and be present in the moment. Society increases speed by the day and it's not doing us any favors. It's contributing to disease, actually. YOU are in control of you fast and complicated your life is - so start making changes. Decreasing clutter increases capacity for positivity and freedom. It feels lighter and calmer.
SCHEDULE DOWNTIME, EVERYDAY
Living in a frenzy of getting to the next place to do the next thing creates chaos emotionally and physically. Your body is required to respond to every demand that is placed upon it: MIND and BODY. When we are physically drained, so we are emotionally. Reduction and simplification creates the space you need to FOCUS on your health. NOTHING is more valuable. 
AN ONGOING PROCESS
Just as your cancer didn't develop overnight, you won't make these changes in one afternoon either. Habits and change take time and require understanding. These new rhythms you create will make changing your direction to the healing path more comfortable and will set your cells at ease.... ease + calm = healing.

​What can be measured should be measured.  Whether it’s profit margin, employee attendance, weight, blood pressure or your cholesterol - improvements mean progress, but in terms of what and ….says who? In terms of a business strategy, wellness and prevention programs should provide real information and evidence of its effectiveness. So in the world of wellness and disease prevention, where’s the real data?
Biometric screenings, Health Risk Assessments (HRAs), Apps that track lifestyle habits are some of the most common programs used by employers. Of course, these initiatives serve an important purpose for organizations taking steps toward a culture of wellness and providing actionable steps for employees to engage in.  The drawback is that it’s so very hard, if not impossible, to determine the impact of the prevention and wellness programs.  Honestly, all we can prove is how much financial investment was provided and who participated. 

Return on Investment
It is almost crazy to attempt to measure ROI in wellness programming. How much does the cancer diagnosis that never happened spare the company? Or the emergency room visit for a heart attack that didn't occur or the diabetes that never developed?  We need to start including additional programming that serves all staff members, those that can be measured. Chronic disease recovery coaching. With this type of offering, we can ask questions that provide measurable results with disease recovery programming. What are the lab changes? Is quality of life sustained or possible improving. Are tumor markers improving? Were there reductions in benefit utilization? For most wellness / prevention programs, the answer is a resounding “no”.  However, for cancer recovery programs, we can actually show progress and identify what efforts are working. Ultimately, is the employee dealing with cancer able to work, able to return to work after treatment...or is their state of health declining and medical bills increasing? These are very apparent and measurable metrics to track. 

Disease Recovery Based on Data
Outcomes-based programs are becoming very popular. Less missed work, improved emotional stability and decreased mortality rates are essentially making people more accountable for the state of their personal health. Evidence-based medicine (where doctors make decisions about care using mathematical estimates based on measured treatment of large population samples) informs decisions about health care treatment. Integrative approaches to disease is making great strides in this category. 

Focus on Creating an Impact
Concentrate on High Risk, High Cost:  The strategy isn’t based on population health.  Specifically, employers should concentrate on cancer, it is on the rise and with 1 in 2.4 Americans projected to receive this diagnosis, it is sure to weigh heavily on the corporate platform. Cancer will be the top suspect for claims reported to insurance companies. This disease is scaling the workplace, medication prices are climbing, research is creating more expensive drugs and all of these drivers are likely to place the highest percentage of your workforce at risk for catastrophic health issues. And, to be the number one reason for death in this country.

Having a cancer coach on your team to support each employees progress is the dividing factor in demonstrating what works and what doesn't. When people do not know they have treatment options, one of two things happen. #1. They blindly follow along with the status quo, which is not improving cancer outcomes nor is it efficient for restoring health. #2. People become overwhelmed with so much information, they are unsure what is applicable and in fear, sit back to traditional practices (see #1).
It's true. Programs that are out of sight - are out of mind. Most wellness programs are either presented at certain times of the year or are are ongoing for those who take initiative to inquire. The impact is slight, if at all for these approaches. A longer term program, one that is repeatedly reminded to team members will be more sustainable as the reminder of choice and options for disease care can severely impact the ability to make an informed decision.  Knowing there is support and guidance should a life threatening disease strike will make employees and their loved ones feel comforted and secure if they receive an unfavorable diagnosis. 


Are you looking for a way to improve the state of health for those who have already been diagnosed with cancer? Email us for your options.

Compare your list of to-do's, with this list of to-do's.
How do they compare? Does yours account for LIVING LIFE?

-prepare for the morning the night before - don't rely on memory, write it down - practice preventative maintenance - make duplicate keys - say "no" more often - avoid negative people - use time wisely - simplify meal time - plan a weeks worth of meals - go for a bike ride - go for a walk by yourself - go for a walk with a friend - always make copies of important papers - anticipate your needs - treat yourself to a MASSAGE - put yourself FIRST - repair anything that doesn't work properly - ask for help - break large tasks into bite sized pieces - look at problems as challenges - look at challenges differently - unclutter - SMILE - be prepared for rain - don't know all the answers - offer to listen, instead of advice - look for the silver lining - say something nice to someone - give a compliment - teach the kids to fly kites - get ADJUSTED - walk in the rain - schedule play time everyday - use essential oils - be aware of decisions - BELIEVE in yourself - stop saying negative things to yourself - visualize yourself WINNING - enjoy a sense of humor - don't procrastinate  - VISION - dance to your favorite song - say hello to strangers - give a HUG - ask for a HUG - look up at the stars - practice deep breathing, slowly - read a poem - write down your favorite motivating quote and post it in the bathroom - read personal development articles or books - do a brand new thing - ditch a bad habit - take stock of achievements, write them down - work at being optimistic - STRETCH - think of 3 things to be GRATEFUL for before getting out of bed - display flowers in the house - be responsible for your own feelings - take responsibility for YOU and your mistakes and keep going - EXERCISE - clean a closet - write a note to a friend or family member and mail it - FORGIVE someone - forgive YOURSELF for something - recognize the importance of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE - keep a journal (or two) - remember you ALWAYS HAVE OPTIONS - quit trying to "fix" other people - get enough SLEEP - LAUGH - go on a picnic with homemade healthy foods - talk less, LISTEN more - be thankful for everything you have at this very moment -
RELAX.
Take time each day to REST.
...you have the rest of your LIFE to LIVE. It's not about counting the moments, it's whether or not we make the moments count <3