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Life can be stressful—and that stress may be amplified during your cancer journey. The good news is that you may be able to reduce anxiety and stress by building meditation and mindfulness practices into your treatment plan. Doing so may also help improve common side effects of cancer treatments such as pain, fatigue, insomnia and nausea.

What Meditation Is (And Isn’t)

At its core, mediation can help provide a way to calm your thoughts and become more closely connected to the present, allowing for your mind to become attuned to the world around you. For some people, meditation has a religious or spiritual component, but for others it’s simply a way to relax.

A meditation practice can take many forms. Some involve sitting quietly or lying down and focusing on regular breathing; others, like Tai Chi, involve physical movements.

Benefits of Meditation

Simply put, meditation won’t take the place of your regular treatments. But, studies have shown that regular mindfulness practices may improve your overall mood, make it easier to concentrate, and even boost your immune system. Controlling anxiety and depression can also help improve a cancer patient’s quality of life as maintaining a positive outlook throughout treatment can be essential.

How to Get Started

Before beginning, talk to your doctor. They may be able to suggest types of meditation that would work best for you and offer resources to guide you in your practice. Like any other form of treatment, you want to be sure your meditation practice fits within your overall treatment plan.

Some hospitals and clinics offer meditation programs, so it’s worth asking your care team about any resources they can recommend. Many videos and mobile apps offer guided mindfulness or meditation practice. For more personalized instruction, seek out a local meditation expert. Yoga instructors and behavioral health practitioners often provide classes either in a group setting or one-on-one.

Working Meditation Into Your Routine

There’s a reason meditation is called a practice: its benefits tend to appear over an extended period of time as you refine your technique. Whether you decide to take a class or learn on your own, most authorities suggest you start by meditating for at least five minutes a day and increase over time. If you make meditation a part of your daily routine, reducing stress may become a habit.

Interested in the benefits of meditation? Try an audio exercise now to see if the practice may be right for you.