Yes, you can be and feel beautiful during your cancer journey, it starts from within...let’s go!
Article at a Glance
- Find the features that make you feel better (even a tiny bit of joy) and highlight them.
- Know that it is ok to choose to “dim” what does not make you feel your best.
- Keep your beauty routine and if you did not have one, get one.
“Beauty comes from within; a beautiful heart creates a beautiful person.”
— Kenyan Proverb
I recently read a dictionary definition of beauty, which was this: “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic sense, especially the sight”. And if we follow this train, it likely leads us to the all too familiar quote of beauty being “in the eye of the beholder”.
But….
I believe beauty is actually in the heart and soul of the beholder, and hence starts from within. The most beautiful people, to me, feel like they are lit from within.
And yet, one of the most immediate impacts we think about when we start a cancer journey is about the external physical changes that usually happen to the patient. It is perfectly normal and to be expected. We all have that visual frame of reference of what treatments typically do and it usually becomes our first fear. It did for me.
What if all my hair falls out?
What if my body changes drastically?
What if I look “sick”?
What if I lose my looks?
These are just some of the “first fears” because cancer is a disease that lives inside and outside the body. It’s visible. It’s invasive. It’s life changing. It affects everything.
But there is still a way to feel beautiful. And that’s what we’re talking (or writing) about now. We are so committed to making this helpful, that not only do we have an entire “room” on our site dedicated to beauty; we are also including a large segment in our second Seasonal Toolkit to the topic of beauty. You will want to check back and check it out.
In the meantime, we are sharing a few practices I have found helpful in keeping my inner-light on and feeling my ‘best beautiful’ self. I hope they will also serve you well.
1 | Find the features that make you feel better (even a tiny bit of joy) and highlight them.
As you start your cancer journey, while there will be physical changes brought on by the medications and their side effects, you will still have many things within you that will let you shine from within. For me, it began by being able to enhance the features that made me feel beautiful, even when I was at a low point. We ALL have features inside and out that make us feel beautiful! Take the time to look for what that is within you and highlight it. If you have bright and cheerful eyes, then make those your focus area and highlight them. If you have a bright and friendly smile, focus on making it shine and even add a little extra color to your lips! It’s the little steps that you take for yourself that will help you feel better as you navigate the journey.
2 | Know that it is ok to choose to “dim” what does not make you feel your best.
One of the hardest things that most patients have to immediately deal with is hair loss. And no matter how much one anticipates this may happen, there’s always that day or night when your hair suddenly starts falling out in clumps. Not everyone can immediately embrace having a shaved head. Some patients never embrace it. And that is perfectly ok. Choose what will help you “dim” the light on this loss. It may be getting a wig. It may be using a nice headscarf. It may be both. The first wig I got, was a gift from my partner and it looked almost identical to my own hairstyle at that time. It gave me a sense of comfort and confidence that I needed in that moment.
About a year later, I became comfortable with my shaved head and stopped using the wig. But it took me time to get there, so in that time, I used the tools that helped me for what I needed to feel and look my best self...and so can you.
3 | Keep your beauty routine and if you did not have one, get one.
Beauty routines often start from within, and no time is this more essential than when you are in cancer treatment.
Routines can be simple:
Hydration to keep your body healthy, but also for healthy skin.
Nutrition to keep your body nourished, but also to help your hair follicles, nails and overall complexion stay replenished.
Oral hygiene to keep your teeth and gums healthy, and your smile bright!
General skin care, such as cleansers and moisturizers to protect and heal your skin.
And, for those who also enjoy a makeup routine, we will have a few practical and easy to maintain tips in our upcoming Seasonal Toolkit.
Key Takeaways
And so, as always, I leave you with one key take away, if you remember nothing else from this article, know this: You and only you get to define your beautiful self. Find what truly makes you feel beautiful and shine a light on it...because that light is already within you.
With love,
Amelia O.
