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Are you seeking the key to thriving beyond health challenges?

Join Teisha in this episode of Wellbeing Interrupted as we delve into the transformative power of mindset in the face of life-altering health diagnoses. Discover how your mindset not only accompanies you in every challenge but also has the potential to be your greatest ally or enemy in your journey towards wellness.

From my personal experiences with MS and now stage four breast cancer, I share insights into how an empowered mindset can redefine the way you live with any health challenge.

We explore the balance between positivity and authenticity, emphasising the importance of embracing all emotions without being consumed by negativity.

If you loved this episode, share it on Instagram and tag us @Hurdle2Hope.

 Key Episode Takeaways: 

• The critical role of mindset in navigating health challenges.
• How to balance positivity with authenticity.
• Strategies for embracing emotions to enhance well-being.

EPISODE 3 TRANSCRIPT

Title: Your Mindset is Everything: The Key to Thriving Beyond Health Challenges

Wellbeing Interrupted Intro

Welcome to Wellbeing Interrupted. The podcast dedicated to exploring the transformative power of a healing mindset. I'm Teisha Rose, your host and the founder of Hurdle2Hope. If you're on a quest to not just survive, but thrive after a life-changing diagnosis, then you're definitely in the right place. Living with MS and now stage four breast cancer has taught me a vital lesson. In the face of a life-changing illness, our mindset is everything. Each week I'll share insights, tips, and strategies to help you build a happier, healthier, more balanced life. So let's begin your journey from Hurdle2Hope starting right now.

Introduction to Episode 3

 Hey there, welcome to episode three of Wellbeing Interrupted, the podcast by Hurdle2Hope. As I've mentioned, these first few episodes really are a bit of an introduction. In episode one, you learned more about me, the three ways that could help you as well manage the complete overwhelm of a new diagnosis or a new prognosis. Then in episode two, I shared with you more about my business Hurdle2Hope, which has become my absolute lifeline over the last couple of years dealing with both cancer and MS. And as I shared, it really is my hope that you will also learn to use the Hurdle2Hope roadmap as your own guide to help you through all of the challenges that come with living with a life-changing illness. And today, I want to shift the focus onto our mindset. As I say at the end of every episode, to thrive after a life-changing diagnosis, your mindset is everything. And I truly believe that, but I guess I want to make it a little bit more clear as to what I mean by your mindset. So if you were to ask me, what is the most important ingredient in living well with an illness, I would give you this simple answer, your mindset. And I know this to be true. MS and breast cancer are two completely different diseases. Yet they have one thing in common, my mindset. So in this episode, we will discuss why your mindset is so important. And then I'll go into whether having the right mindset means you have to be positive all the time. So I'm really excited about this topic. I love talking about all things mindset. And yeah, let's get started.

Main Body of Episode 3 

You're sitting in your doctor's room, been told your test results aren't great, that your life will change forever. Your mindset is there. Lying in a hospital bed, feeling alone, feeling scared of what is to come, your mindset is there. Getting through a brutal treatment regime, feeling sick and depleted, your mindset is there. Being in a crowded room but feeling alone, like no one understands what you're going through, your mindset is there. Waking up at three AM, your mind racing, thinking about all you have to cope with, your mindset is there. Faced with the reality of trying to fit your illness into your everyday life at home, at work, socially, your mindset is there. And that's why talking about our mindset in living with a chronic illness or a life-changing illness is so important because it is the one constant in every situation you face. The bad news is that your mindset has the potential to become your worst enemy, negative self-talk that sabotages your efforts to live well. You know things like, "It's too much. I can't do this. Why me? It's not fair. What's the point?" This self-talk can feed your fear and anxiety, and it can make you feel like moving forward is impossible, it's even pointless to even try. But on the flip side, the good news is that you can turn your mindset into your greatest ally. Its constant presence can guide you through difficult times, the darkest moments in your life. And that's what wellbeing interrupted is all about. I want to challenge you to engage your mind, to constantly challenge how you think about and approach your illness but also all aspects of your life. I now realise that it was when I started actively working on my mindset in living with MS as I became more involved in creating a life conducive to my overall well-being that my experience with MS started to change. But it wasn't until I received the call from my surgeon to say that my mastectomy was cancelled and my breast cancer had already spread to my liver and sternum that I began to truly realise the power of my mindset in coping. So for more about that story, go to episode one, and you'll hear about the call and the experience and the absolute fear I experienced on that very afternoon. You see, I'd never experienced such fear dealing with this shock in the days, weeks, and months that followed, I started applying my same mindset as I had learned from living with MS. And I realised that mindset was my silver lining in this new challenge because I'd built up so much resilience from going through these dark moments. I almost kicked into gear. I knew what to do. As we really can train our mindset, to know what to do the next time our well-being is interrupted. Now in navigating this new world of cancer, really benefiting from these insights, but I really want you to benefit from all of these lessons I've learned as well.

Okay, so we've recognised that our mindset is a constant. It's there with us in every situation we find ourselves in. It can be our great ally. But if we let it, it could also become our greatest enemy. So now I want to chat about whether living well with your illness requires a positive mindset. And I used to think yes, of course it does. You have to be positive. And now I think, yes, it does. But it's complicated. So this is where I think things can get a little confusing, but I want to share with you what I've worked down how I've tried to make sense of positivity and your mindset. So being positive in living with a life-altering illness is extremely important. I definitely have a positive outlook. I did before MS, and that has helped me now in dealing with both MS and cancer. But this does not mean you have to be positive all the time. When dealing with a health crisis, this is not realistic. It's not healthy, and it's not authentic. And if we're to be positive all the time, that's when we fall into the trap of toxic positivity. And I'll chat about that in more detail in another episode. But for now, toxic positivity is really about denying us the opportunity to feel all the emotions, to feel the feels. Feeling the pressure to be cheerful all the time, and that masks how you'd really feel about your situation. So if at a certain point in time you're really struggling, you're feeling exhausted, you're despondent about your illness, about your life. Then comments such as, could be worse, or you just need to stay strong, or she'll be right, which is a very Australian. And although all of these comments are well intended. They don't validate the complex emotions that you're experiencing. Worth still, you might feel pressured to put on a brave face or pretend that everything is fine when in reality, you're struggling to cope with your illness and the impact it's having on your life. But here's where I think the confusion sometimes lies is if I don't have to be positive all the time. That doesn't mean I have to be negative. Instead, I think it's about authenticity, having an authentic mindset. And that's what I've really learned over the past couple of years you can experience the full spectrum of emotions, but still have a positive outlook. You can feel all the feels without being consumed by negative energy. And that's when I realised that I have evolved so much since dealing with MS in my twenties. As back then, I think I really did have a bit of toxic positivity happening. I was scared to explore my emotions to even reflect on the trauma of lying in a hospital bed for weeks and weeks. Been unable to move because I thought exploring these emotions would mean I would spiral into darkness, and I wouldn't be able to get myself back out of this hole. Whereas now that I'm older only in my forties and so much more wise, um not really but with breast cancer, I know I cried and cried. I sobbed. I felt all of the emotions. The absolute fear of being diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, what it meant to my life what it meant to my mortality. I felt absolute fear. I was so scared It was like it wasn't even like my stomach dropped. It was like there was I was in free fall. There was nothing there to hold me. I was just so scared. But feeling these emotions didn't mean I embodied a negative mindset. I used to think exploring all these emotions would lead to feeling negative about my situation. But it hasn't. Instead, I've learned how to be authentic to how I'm feeling, and the relief has been that this authenticity has made me stronger, and it's helped me to feel more empowered in having an impact on my life with MS, but also on breast cancer. So if you stop to think about it, being negative is not only difficult for those around us, but it makes our lives miserable as well. And gosh, there is so much I want to share in future episodes as I'm also a big believer in the law of attraction. And if you're always negative, then the experiences you attract will also be negative, and you'll start seeing your life and your future from a negative point of view from a negative perspective. But that's the conversation for another day. For now, in this episode, I really want you to remember these important points.

Your mindset really is everything, and I'm going to keep saying that at the end of every episode because it's what I truly believe. It is your one constant. It is what is with you in every situation and in every experience you will have with your illness. This reality then provides us with motivation to work on our mindset…as it can be your greatest ally. But, on the flip side, it also can be your greatest enemy. It can be your self-sabotage. Is that a word? But it can sabotage you as well. And then, if the power of your mindset is true, if it is your one constant, if it can become your greatest supporter…in this life with your illness, then we need to start unpacking…what a mindset really is. And today, we looked at…and I chatted about a positive mindset…and how you can still be positive…without suppressing…authenticity. You can still feel the spectrum of emotions…without being consumed…by negativity…And I think that's so important, and that is a lesson that took me a long time to learn, but we can't suppress our feelings. And we need to feel confident enough in ourselves to feel the feels, to explore our emotions, and to know even if we sink down into the depths of darkness that we don't need to stay there, that we can still find a way out…and we can still keep moving forward. And if you're listening to this and you know someone going through an illness, support them to feel all the emotions…support them to express how they're genuinely feeling as suppressing these emotions will not help them to live well. And I love conversations like this, uh, as you learn throughout this podcast…as to live well, I've discovered you really need to be present. You need to be active in your journey with your illness. And you need to constantly challenge how you think about and experience your illness, but all aspects of your life. And once you are present, once you join in conversations like this, once you really start questioning…what you've always…thought about things. That's when you start moving forward, and that's when you realise you can have an impact…on your experience…every step of the way.

If this episode triggered you 

Before finishing this episode, I really want to highlight that if any content…in this episode triggers difficult emotions, especially if you're being hesitant to confront feelings that have arisen…through a diagnosis or a health crisis please seek professional support. Although I can't provide specific helplines for every country, local mental health services, healthcare professionals, and anyone else in your support network…including support groups, they're really valuable resources. And remember, reaching out for help is really a sign of strength and such an important step in your wellbeing journey.

And something else that will help your journey, keep listening to the very end of this episode as I have something available which will help you start your own Hurdle2Hope journey today.

Wellbeing Interrupted Outro

Thank you so much for joining me today on Wellbeing Interrupted. If today's episode inspired you or you think it could help others, please share it by tagging @Hurdle2Hope in your Instagram stories or just by telling a friend about it. To spread our message of healing and hope to those who need it most. Your ratings and reviews are invaluable. By taking a moment to rate and review on your listening platform, you help us attract inspiring guests and create content that empowers all of us to thrive. Don't forget to follow me on @Hurdle2Hope for more insights. I'd love to see you there. Always remember…To thrive after a life-changing diagnosis, your mindset is everything.