Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hello there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. September is recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. During September many organizations run campaigns to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer prevention and cure research.

Every year, approximately 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer. In the US alone, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer every single day.

The Gold Ribbon

The gold ribbon is recognized as the international symptom for Childhood Cancer awareness. The gold colour represents how precious resilient children are.

You can show your support by wearing the colour gold in the month of September.

Share with your Circle of Support

You can help raise awareness by starting conversations with your friends and loved ones. Your Circle of Support is a great place to start:

Low appetite?

August 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hi there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. A lot of people that are affected by cancer can experience low appetite as a symptom or a side effect of their treatment. If this has happened to you, you’re not alone.

Not getting enough to eat can affect your energy and your overall health. We wanted to talk about some self-care strategies that might be able to help you if you struggle with your appetite.

Keep up the good work

You’re working hard to manage your health and you’re doing great. Staying motivated can be difficult, but we have lots of tools that are here to help you. If you want to improve your self-care strategies related to your diet, check out the “Food Nutrition” category in your Health Tool Library:

Are you protecting your skin?

July 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hi there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. Did you know July is National UV Safety Awareness month? That means it’s time to talk about how we can be safer under the sun.

What are ultraviolet rays?

The sun releases ultraviolet (UV) radiation, there are two kinds you should be thinking about:

UVA: These rays are the weakest and do not carry a lot of energy, long term exposure can cause premature aging or wrinkles.

UVB: These rays are the ones to be cautious about. They can directly damage skin cells and cause sunburns. Long term exposure can cause damage that may eventually lead to skin cancer.

How can you protect yourself?

1. Wear protective clothing to shield your skin from the sun.

2. Do not spend prolonged periods of time in the sun.

3. Apply sunscreen if you are going outside.

If you have trouble remembering to apply sunscreen in the mornings or throughout the day, add it to your routine and we’ll remind you to do so!

National Cancer Survivors Day

June 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hi there,

Are you enjoying the Health Storylines app so far, or want to give us some feedback to help you along your journey better? Please let us know by giving us a quick rating in the app store!

Thank you for being a part of the Health Storylines community. National Cancer Survivors Day is intended to be a “celebration of life” for anyone with a history of it, to show that life after cancer can be invigorating.

Why gather with family, friends, and supporters on National Cancer Survivors Day?

We encourage you to share a post about what National Cancer Survivors Day means to you with your Circle of Support!

If you want to reflect in a personal way, visit My Journal and write about what living a full life means to you:

Cancer affects so many people - there are over 16 million cancer survivors in the United States alone. Awareness days are important because they encourage research in the field in order to better our understanding of how to treat cancer. They also create a space for positivity and celebration in the community.

No matter where you are on your journey, today is the time to celebrate you and how much you have overcome as a survivor.

Got a lot on your mind?

May 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hey there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. Today, we wanted to talk to you about the benefits of mediation. There is research that supports meditation as a helpful tool in managing health conditions, as well as improving mood, emotional regulation, and sleep quality.

To get started, check out the

Guided Meditation tool in the Health Storylines app today:

Meditation is personal, it can take time to figure out what works for you. Some people think you have to sit on the floor cross-legged, but you can do it sitting on a chair, or even laying down. Whatever is most comfortable for you.

To get started you can try meditating for short periods; try 5 minutes a day to get started. If you want to get started and think reminders might be helpful, try adding Daily Meditation to your Health Routine Builder:

To keep track of how your meditation journey is going and how it’s making you feel, write about it in your journal:

Mental Health is Health 🧠

April 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

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Hey there,

Thank you for being a part of the Health Storylines community. Today we wanted to talk about the importance of taking care of your mind. Life can be challenging and sometimes it’s hard to manage emotions, so it’s important to have the proper tools and strategies to take care of your mental health.

How can you nurture your mind?

Write it down

It can take time and effort to process difficult or even happy emotions. Take some time to reflect and work through your thoughts and feelings by writing them down.

Pay attention to your moods

Our moods change all of the time, maybe several times a day. Keeping track of your moods is a good way to notice if there are any changes in your mental health over time.

Stick to a routine

Finding a routine that works for you is a good way to keep up with healthy habits and create a sense of stability for your own peace of mind.

Rest

It’s okay to say no to plans, take breaks, and relax when you need it. Your mental health is a priority.

Remember, mental health is health.

Three things you can try to feel less fatigued!

March 2022

Funmi from Health Storylines

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Hey there,

Thank you for being part of our Health Storylines community. Is fatigue a constant struggle you strive to overcome? So much so that doing the things you want to do is a challenge and can leave you feeling exhausted? You’re not alone in that.

As usual, we scoured the internet to find tips to help you combat your day to day fatigue.

Give in to the fatigue, especially if you’re currently undergoing treatment. Make sure you’re taking the time to rest not just physically, but mentally as well. If you have trouble with racing thoughts, writing down all of them in Your Journal can help slow them down.

Have someone in your support system assist you in a fun and short exercise session. Counterintuitively, exercise has been shown to improve fatigue levels and build up strength. Setting small, achievable goals is key. So if you start with 5 minutes today, tomorrow you can aim for 7.

Get a massage! Studies have shown massages to alleviate cancer-related fatigue at least on a temporary basis. If you give it a shot, you can reflect on your massage in your Treatment Reflections tool.

Overcoming fatigue can be a long process. It’s important to document what works for you so using any of those tools alongside Fatigue Tracker allows you to keep track of your mini-experiment! Finding the right combination of activities may need some trial and error but you’ll figure it out. You got this.