DEFINE, DISCOVER & DO SERIES
The Importance of Taking Sabbatical After Receiving Cancer Diagnosis
DEFINE
In general, a sabbatical is defined as a “break from work.” Its history stems from the Hebrew word for Sabbath, which means “to close or rest.” After receiving a cancer diagnosis, the word sabbatical is not one of the first to come to mind. But, it should be!
DISCOVER
Often after first hearing a diagnosis, your mind’s instinct is to go into overdrive and all of your thoughts, fears and questions may hit you at once. Your body’s instinct is to take action, a fight or flight response to perceived danger. It’s important to take some time and reflect.
While a general sabbatical provides you the opportunity to rest, to find rejuvenation or to self improve, a sabbatical after a cancer diagnosis serves a more specific purpose. It’s been determined that the single action that all Radical Remission survivors have in common is they took pause.
In taking pause, they were able to reflect and follow their intuition. They took some time to fully process the diagnosis, to come to terms with their feelings and even fears. Above all, they took time to think, research or reflect on their own before coming to a decision about treatment.
DO
Take a breath between diagnosis and making a treatment choice. Let your family and loved ones know that you need some “time off” to process your diagnosis. (You should take one to two weeks.) Ask them for their patience while you do so. Even if you can’t actually stop your day-to-day life, you can take “time off” from answering everyone else’s questions, dealing with everyone’s reactions and their opinions.
While you’re on sabbatical, it’s important to slow down and give yourself a chance to cope. Step back and think about how you’re coping. Work through some of these feelings internally and then, when you’re good and ready, involve the others in your life whose support you need and value.
Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish: it’s truly vital. Pausing or taking a sabbatical is not inaction. Indeed, it’s one of the most important actions you can take after your diagnosis.
