Sips With Survivors

On this week's episode we Vicki shares why we need rest and how to be intentional with it. She also shares tips to get intentional mental and physical rest. 

First of all, what is REST….

It is freedom from activity or labor. It is a state of motionlessness or inactivity. This includes not moving your body, and resting your mind. Many times, our minds and our expectations of ourselves are that we need to do it all. We need to read that book, meet that friend, go to the gym, walk the dog, and so on. We then ignore the need to rest our bodies and our minds.

How do you know you need more rest? Always on the go? Constant stimulation at work and home? Stressed? Stress is usually the reason most people do not get the proper mental or physical rest. 

Remember, just because you are not physically moving, does not mean you are properly resting. Sitting and scrolling on your phone, that is not rest. That is engaging your brain, forcing it to process information and therefore not giving it a break. 

On this episode of Sips with Survivors, Randalynn takes the show solo.  She will dive into how she shared that she was sick and that she had cancer with her then 3 and 7 year old children. 

She shares when she decided she needed to tell them she was sick, how much she wanted to tell them and exactly what she would share with them. Navigating all of this as a divorced mom, she had to share with her family and her ex-husband. Randalynn wanted them all to understand what the kids knew, how it should be communicated and when they needed to let her know. 

If you or anyone you know is ever diagnosed with a severe illness like cancer, think abut the following when you need to share with your children: 

Who needs to know? 

What do they and your children need to know? 

When do they need to know it?

Communication and understanding when it came to all those involved was key. Think about those that your children are in constant contact with besides you. One key component Randalynn realized, were their teachers. These are people that may not be close to you, but they spend a majority of the day with your children. They should have some understanding of what may be happening at home and how this may impact the kids, as well as you as a parent. Teachers really can be a key to how your children deal with your diagnosis.  

Randalynn reminds us, and her kids that Everything is Understandable 

Today’s podcast is going to focus on choosing a guiding word. We recognize that we are already well into 2023, and many people choose a word at the new year, but we also want to remind you that you can select a word any time. You set the intention that you will be focused on that word from point A to B and you it as a guidepost.   

Think back over the last few months or a year. What is something you want to be better at or you need a reminder to get you back on track with.  What do you want to achieve in the next few months or by the end of the year? We all want to be successful at accomplishing our goals, but consider instead of a resolution, or along with your resolution, you choose a word that helps guides you. 

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It is safe to say that being a cancer survivor comes with certain levels of fear and anxiety at times. It’s normal to feel like this, but do not get stuck here. Work through it, manage it, and do not let it consume you. Fear creeps in when you are diagnosed, have a scan, sitting in the chemo chair - really anything related to a cancer diagnosis is scary! 

It is obviously not just cancer either. Fear comes from a lot of things in life… Any illness creates a level of fear. Making a big change in your life, like a job/career can trigger fear, ending a relationship, dating. Some fears can be exciting as well as scary - like skydiving!

Welcome back listeners to Sips With Survivors! We are excited to bring you new episodes and officially launch Season 2. 

We decided in March of last year that we were both feeling the need to take a bit of a break from recording. We are honest around here, and we know that in order for us to keep showing up for you in the future, we needed to rest and reset. The break was a bit longer than we anticipated, but we are back. 

We took the last 10 months and focused on enjoying our lives and spent some much needed time with our families. 

We are back to recording, and plan to continue to share tips for navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, life after a diagnosis, tips for caregivers, and support for anyone navigating something difficult in life. 

We are using this episode to mark the end of our Season 1 of Sips with Survivors. April 12th will be the anniversary of our very first episode. We have had some incredible guests and talked through more topics than we can list! Thank you for tuning in each week, providing feedback, reviews and topics for the podcast. We appreciate each and every one of you! 

One thing we want you to hear is that we’re not going away, we’ll be back with Season 2 soon.  Like many of you, we need to hit the pause button for a bit, reflect on this last year and all of the things we’ve accomplished. 

Remember it’s okay to say no, it’s okay to say “I need a break”, it’s okay to hit the pause button, breathe and then get back after it, refreshed and ready to hit the ground running.

You will hear us again on Season 2...

Send us a DM with any episode ideas. Where could you use some more help in this community? What are you struggling to find info on? 

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This week Randalynn and Vicki are excited to introduce you to an incredible human. She is a fellow podcaster, a writer and a professor with a PhD in English- Meghan Hurley Powell. Meghan has so much to share with the world, but on this episode we had her deep dive into journaling and how to approach writing your own book - which she just did! So many survivors in our community want to work through journaling but do not know exactly how to start. On this episode we chat about getting started. 

Meghan helps us tackle some ways to journal and get pen to paper so to speak. She even has prompts to get started, guides on her website and a webinar - all for free! 

Her book is now available for pre-order - "Guide to Journaling" She has such an incredible heart that part of the proceeds funnel directly into a scholarship for young women to apply to college. So incredible! 

She is also the host of a podcast “The Power Within Her” is all about helping women seek self-empowerment to live a life that makes us excited! The goal is to be intentional about embracing the power of critical thinking and personal growth in order to achieve those dreams on our hearts. We’re going to break free of societal expectations, create new stories that serve us, and have some fun with the process of growing into the type of women who embrace the incredible power within ourselves.

Find out more on Meghan here:

The Power Within Her Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-within-her/id1551513632

https://www.meggymarie.com/

FREE STUFF - https://www.meggymarie.com/free 

https://www.meggymarie.com/guide-to-journaling

https://www.instagram.com/dr.meggymarie/

On this episode the ladies are chatting about Anxiety, Stress in relation to check ups, Scanxiety…whatever you want to call it. The stress and anxiety around the time of your checkups is real. Why is that? The reality is many times the worst has happened…when you were least expecting it, especially when you’ve been told you have cancer. A check up could turn into a reoccurrence or another ailment. It is stressful and even though we don’t want to, we play out worst case scenarios because the worst many times seems to have already happened to us.

On this episode Randalynn and Vicki will dive into some recommendations on things that may help you to manage some of the anxiety and emotions you my be feeling. From revisiting breathing techniques from a few weeks ago, exercise, listening to music, to creating a plan with your Dr. on how you best receive results, and a few more . 

On this episode Randalynn and Vicki are diving into what is Lymphedema, tips for managing it and tips for a proper diagnosis. We are chatting with the incredible Kelly Sturm (Reed), PT, DPT. We found Kelly not that long ago, as Vicki has been dealing with lymphedema issues from some of her recent surgeries and her past cancer surgeries. She is a wealth of knowledge and sharing it with the cancer community. 

Kelly is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and she specializes in oncology and lymphedema, as well as pelvic health. Her YouTube channel is FULL of so much information! If you have not checked it out yet, you need to - right now! Her channel focuses on various treatments and education for the management of the side effects caused by cancer and its treatment. It is also full of tools for those with lymphedema (like many of us after a diagnosis) to help reduce and manage swelling.

She also shares tips and information around women's health topics for overall wellness. There is something for EVERYONE on her channel! 

https://www.youtube.com/c/cancerrehabpt

https://www.instagram.com/cancerrehabpt/

Here are some of the resources mentioned on this episode 

It’s something we all do in the beginning after a life changing event… we live in fear. On this episode Vicki and Randalynn chat about how we can learn to live WITH fear… instead of IN fear all the time. There comes a point where we have to accept and process the fear, but we also must not allow it to control our lives. 

If we constantly live in fear, how do we continue to live our lives? 

How can you transition from IN fear to WITH Fear:   

• Having someone who’s been through a similar situation to talk with. Someone that understands where you are at, and can help you work through the fear.
• Seeking professional help. A therapist or counselor can help with tools to help you get move through or even past the fear you may be having. 
• Practice self care and move your body. This can help reduce anxiety, depression and help with the feeling of fear. 

We know that we cannot remove all the fear from our lives, but we also want to work toward a life where we can focus on LIVING! It’s something that you have to stay mindful of. It can come in waves at time. You may be doing great for awhile and then it creeps back in some how. We know that it does not go away, but we can work to reduce the impact it has on our everyday lives. 

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