|
As author Kathy Santini, herself a breast cancer survivor, points out, life views are fundamentally and forever changed by a cancer diagnosis. As part of living her own "best life" Kathy has designed this compact book (130 pages, including exercises and homework) as a written replacement or complement for the in-person coaching and workshops she frequently facilitates on Vancouver Island and throughout Canada.
Santini summarizes material that will be familiar territory for many survivors, including reflections on "what now?" - making meaning from your cancer experience post-treatment, clarifying values and how they fit with daily living, facing your fears, self-care, boundary setting, finding and building supports, developing SMART goals -- and finding ways of living consciously.
|
The materials here are adapted from diverse sources in psychology and will provide a useful starting point for reading and reflection.
My favourite parts of the book were Kathy's stories about her own life experiences. I wanted more depth and detail in these stories and fewer written exercises, but that may not be true for readers who are cancer survivors looking for strategies in living life post-treatment. Kathy's overall tone is upbeat but not "Pollyanna" and I particularly appreciated a portion of the book entitled "You Didn't Cause Your Cancer" since this issue - and the tyranny of positive thinking it can create - is something most survivors can definitely do without.
|
