Beating Cancer in Heels: Hold up, wait a minute!

As I was waiting for the train this past week on my way to yoga, I realized that it has been a little while since I had what I like to call a cancer panic attack. Those attacks entail all the worries that come from being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

In that moment of realization, I was proud of myself for going longer without thinking about and reliving all that I have experienced. I almost felt normal, and by normal I mean I felt like a 30-year-old that never had to fight for her life against a disease.

Although my time without an attack was short in the grand scheme of things, it felt like a long time for me. For that, I held my head up a little higher and my smile was a little brighter.

A lot of the survivors that I coach deal with the same fear of recurrence and that fear is not only hard to manage but sometimes debilitating. Together, we have made great strides, which helps the anxiety lessons in time. However, just like an addict recovering from his or her disease, there are triggers everywhere. Many of us can’t go a day without hearing the word cancer; it’s even a darn zodiac sign, for goodness sake!

In my past articles, I have written about learning how to manage the worrying that an illness can bring, but how about celebrating your progress? I am someone who struggles with being too hard on myself. So celebrating any success for me can be quite challenging.

That day, I decided to celebrating my success by first acknowledging it and second not beating myself up for not doing it sooner. To me, that was my own HUGE personal way of celebrating and I am sharing it with you to let you know, why hold up and wait a minute to reflect on your progress; you should celebrate!

So, I ask you, Coachee, have you celebrated your success?

Ask yourself…

In what area of my life have I made improvements in?

Don’t worry if it’s not a lot or if you start to realize what areas you are still stuck in. We are focusing on the positive progress you have made that at one point you weren’t sure you would.

How do you want to celebrate?

Maybe it’s sharing your success story with someone or treating yourself to something you enjoy. Either way, celebrate because you DESERVE it!

How can I stop and recognize more of my success?

When you find moments in which you are feeling personally relieved, ask yourself why? Allow yourself to reflect on that feeling and explore where it has taken you. Hold on to the bliss it brings you and use that to empower yourself.

Life Coach TIP… Keep a brag book of all your success, no matter how small or big. Look at it from time to time to inspire yourself.

Empowerment… “Celebrate your accomplishments but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” – Unknown

Calming sentence of the week… I value my progress and accept the fact that it is a process.

That’s it for today, Coachee! Stay tuned for more tips and stories from your Life Coach Marlena!

If you are interested in being coached one on one or group coaching with FRIENDS, please contact me at Marlena@MarlenaLC.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Beating Cancer In Heels & Marlena Ortiz.

REMEMBER: Women between the ages of 20 and 40 diagnosed with cancer get six free coaching sessions through the nonprofit BeatingCancerInHeels.org.