berries, chard, spinach, broccoli, and brussel sprouts; try whole grains; make sure that you’re getting enough Vitamin D through supplements, sunshine, or Vitamin-D fortified foods
3. Mindfulness
- Even brief mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce stress, behavioral symptoms, and inflammation.
- Mindfulness has been shown to lessen symptoms of metastatic breast cancer, including pain severity and interference, fatigue, psychological distress, and sleep disturbance.
How to: meditation, massage, journaling, restorative yoga, soaking in a bath, self-reflection
4. Community
- One study, in particular, found that Breasties with more social ties are less likely to have a recurrence and less likely to die from breast cancer.
- Social support is linked to increased quality of life for Breasties after treatment.
Gathering with your people—whether they are other Breasties, friends, or family—is critically important to your well-being. The Breastie club isn’t one you want to be in, but once you’re in it, we all have unconditional love, trust, and compassion for one another. For metavivor and breast cancer advocate Sheila, time spent with other Black Breasties allows her “to be inspired and empowered to go back and take on the world again.”
How to: join the TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance family at facebook.com/TouchBBCA or touchbbca.org
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These core pillars of self-care are proven to impact outcomes for Black Breasties. Remember: your peace is non-negotiable! As we continue to set our resolutions for 2023, make self-care a goal this year.
And keep in mind the words of Audrey Lorde: Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.
– Emily Powers, TOUCH Health Storyteller
Thank you to Amgen for their generous sponsorship of this article.
