Tag: Body Mind Spirit

You Have to Laugh!

Cancer is not much to laugh about. Right? But actually laughter is good for us as I was reminded the other day by a doctor who suggested watching comedies rather than the news.

Sadly the news is rather depressing these days with wars, weather, politics and the economy. In fact there are a number of articles online about this very thing. One I found is entitled “Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health?“. It is slightly out of date having been written when Covid was at its height, but it nevertheless made the point how damaging it can be to get too much news. And if it affects the mind, it affects the body and affects our healing. Certainly we need to keep informed, but we need to avoid being worried or upset about things we can do nothing about. I remember recently hearing someone say that he rationed his news intake to one day a week, when he did his catching up on what was going on in the world. And when he did that he used sources with differing political biases so as to get a more balanced picture.

I guess the beneficial effect of laughter has been known for a long time, but is not something that I have thought about. I don’t see The Readers’ Digest any more, but I remember seeing copies some 60 years ago with a page or more of humour “Laughter is the Best Medicine”, and likely they still have it.

I did an internet search on the beneficial effects of laughter and there were loads of results. One from the Mayo Clinic HERE. So there is plenty of evidence that we need to laugh for the sake of our mental and physical health. If we have a physical health condition like cancer, it doesn’t do us good to dwell too much on the negative aspects of it. A good laugh gives us a break and does us good.

I looked up a few joke websites and they didn’t do much for me. I guess we are all different in this respect. I am not a great fan of stand-up comedy either. Other people just love it. But I have been having a great time looking at sitcoms on catch-up TV and there are some good funny films an catch-up TV and streaming channels too. We each need to find what we enjoy that makes us laugh and then use it to help heal our bodies.

I have pointed out in other blog posts that recovery from cancer needs to be a matter of healing the whole person – body, mind and spirit. Laughing is something that we can practice to assist that process.

Separate Faith and Cancer?

It was suggested to me that perhaps I should separate this blog into two blogs – one for Faith and one for Cancer. Here is some of my rationale for keeping things the way they are:

Healing

Every holistic healer and many in the medical profession will say that the mind is an essential part of healing. In fact there is evidence that mental trauma can make you sick in the first place. It is generally recognised that mental well-being is essential to physical well-being.

There is no doubt in my mind that my Christian faith contributes massively to my mental well-being. Two very powerful contributors that faith provides are Gratitude and Forgiveness.

Gratitude is so healthy because it is so positive. We are grateful for what we have and not anxious or envious of the things we don’t have. Christians are indeed extremely grateful for the redemption offered by Jesus Christ. Gratitude goes beyond that, for the beauty of God’s creation, for shelter, for warmth, for food, for other people. As I write this, I am additionally grateful for the warmth of the sun on this slightly chilly autumn day and for the beauty of the flowers outside the window. As I prepare to go to bed at night, I thank the Lord for all the blessings of the day.

Forgiveness is absolutely essential. If we do not forgive, we can become bitter, resentful and angry. All very negative emotions that damage our health. I remember a few years ago I was angry with the police for falsifying their testimony to make it appear that I had committed an offence that I didn’t commit. It made my blood boil, I lost sleep over it, it affected my whole life. I didn’t know it at the time, but I already had kidney cancer and I do not doubt that my mental state made it worse. Then I became a Christian and learned to forgive and put it behind me. Not forgiving hurts us and not those we don’t forgive.

We are forgiven by God through faith in Jesus Christ, so who are we not to forgive others? Like many others, I have difficulty forgiving myself for. things I have done that hurt others. But that is something we have to learn too – make amends where we can and ask forgiveness where we can, and then put it behind us. God doesn’t forgive us for us to feel guilty, but to feel free.

Mental Outlook

Gratitude and Forgiveness are two essential ingredients of mental well-being. But faith gives us more than that. I was diagnosed with a tumour in my brain stem. A devastating diagnosis, except I wasn’t devastated. I put that down to my faith which the Lord had given me just a few months before. What my faith gave me was acceptance. Not acceptance that this was fate and let it take its course, but acceptance that I had to do what I could to get well. And if I didn’t get well, so be it. That was over 2 1/2 years ago, since when there have been a few ups and downs with beneficial treatments and medication side effects. And a lot of learning too about cancer and the causes of cancer and about alternative healing, both the scientifically sound and the scientifically unsound.

All the while, my faith has given me a positive outlook. Of course, I am not absolutely joyful when suffering medication side effects, but extremely grateful for all the times when I feel better and have energy. Not only do I pray for healing, but also that the rest of my life will be useful. When I first prayed for healing, the answer I got was “Why?”. That is a very good question and if we are sick, we need to know the answer. That question did rather change my outlook.

Body, Mind and Spirit

Our body, mind and spirit are inextricably linked. Our bodies will not be healthy unless our minds and spirits are too. And that is why I have linked my cancer and my faith together in this blog. Although old in years, I am young in faith and continually learning, and some of that is reflected in this blog. All blog entries are categorised by Cancer or by Faith, so you can just choose to read one or the other. This post falls into both categories, and I hope helps the reader recognise the importance of making the whole person healthy,