Connecting With Your Inner Spirit Helps With A Cancer Diagnosis

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Researchers have found that having a strong sense of spirituality helps people better adjust and cope with cancer.

Spirituality provides a foundation of inner strength that can help people find hope, gratitude and keep a positive outlook in the midst of a cancer diagnosis.

Your own sense of spirituality may include values and beliefs that bring meaning to your life as well as how you connect to your inner self and those you define as sacred. At times, it can be difficult to spark these feelings. This week, I thought we could explore a few ways to reconnect with your inner spirituality:

Quiet reflections such as meditation or prayer

Active practices such as yoga, dance or walking meditation

Gratitude reflection — purposeful reflection on the things that you are thankful for every day

Journaling or writing

Appreciation of the beauty in nature

Participation in a faith or spiritual community

Having a strong connection to your spiritual values and belief system can be a powerful way to help you reframe your cancer diagnosis, find meaning and purpose in life and reveal what is of value and importance in your life.

How do you connect with your spirituality?

Reprinted with permission from www.mayoclinic.com. Sheryl M. Ness, RN, is a nurse educator for the Cancer Education Program with the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Follow her on Twitter at @SherylNess1.