Let's Talk About It: Breast Cancer (What is Mindset and Does it Really Matter?)

Your mindset is the way you make sense of the world around you. This lens influences the way you think, the way you feel, and how you might behave in certain situations. Let's talk about mindset myths that can get us into trouble and ways to cultivate a mindset to support your cancer survivorship in authentic ways. Let’s Talk About It!

1. WHAT IS
MINDSET?
AND… DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

2. MINDSET
•Beliefs about the nature and process of
things
•A way of thinking. Opinion. Attitude.
•Doesn’t necessarily need (or have) solid
proof in order to exist.
•Mindset shapes the way you view the
world around you.
•Mindset is in the background

3. THE LINK
BETWEEN
MINDSET AND
CANCER
•Cancer is more than a physical
disease
•The psychological, social and
spiritual impact of cancer can
be relentless
•Catastrophic thinking can spiral
negativity and drive anxiety
and depression
•Anxiety & depression and 2-3
times more common for
cancer survivors

4. IS THIS NORMAL?
•All cancer survivors face emotional adjustment
•Some experience persistent distressing and invasive
thoughts and mood fluctuations (fear of recurrence,
post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression)
•Anxiety and fear are more common than depression.
•Often mood symptoms do not reach criteria for a
clinical diagnosis but sub-clinical symptoms impact
quality of life.
•Emotional distress can be a barrier to engaging in
survivorship care, disruptive to quality of life and
return to other activities.

5. MANY FACTORS INFLUENCE
A PERSON’S RESPONSE
DURING THEIR CANCER
EXPERIENCE:
•Interactions with their care team
•Social support network
•Personal coping style
•Personality
•Past experiences

6. COMMON RESPONSES
TO CANCER
•My body has betrayed me
•My body is fragile and weak
•My body is resilient and strong
•No one understands me
•Everyone is trying their best
•I have no control
•I’m living with cancer

7. WHERE DO I BEGIN?
What is the
story I’m
telling myself?
How is it making me feel?
Are you feeding any thoughts that make
you feel anxious, hopeless, fearful?

8. BUILDING THOUGHT
WATCHING
MUSCLES!
1.Sit in a quiet place
2.Close your eyes and take a deep
breath
3.Visualize a harbor and imagine
ships slowly coming in and out.
4.Notice the thoughts coming in
and out of your mind.
5.Place your thoughts – one at a
time– on a ship
6.Notice if/when you get tangled up
in one thought.

9. ARE THERE CORE BELIEFS YOU
HOLD THAT ARE COMFORTING?
GET IN YOUR WAY?
•”Healthy food is disgusting”
•“Exercise is a chore”
•”There is always something new to learn”
•“Intelligence is dynamic and always changing”
•“My body is weak and vulnerable”
•“Everyone is doing their best”
•”This is just who I (they) am (are). I (they) can’t change”
•”No one could ever understand”
•“The only one looking out for you is, you”

10. WISE INTERVENTIONS
•Shifting mindsets is a skill you can learn and the
change has a significant impact
•Focus on the journey: not success/fail or
right/wrong
•Begin watching the way you talk to yourself
•Experiment with different ways of expressing
how you feel or think
•“Yes, and…”
•Add… “Yet”

11. UPWARD
SPIRAL OF
WELLBEING
Positive Feelings
Frame of mind
to explore the
world
Build skills & internal
resources (manifestation
of Resilience)
Find meaning,
fulfillment and
satisfaction
Gain confidence

12. DAILY HEALING PRACTICE
UNCONDITIONALLY LOVE LIFE
I AM…
Statement about YOU
I CAN…
Statement about your POTENTIAL
I WILL…
Statement of CHANGE in your life