Chronic Stress, Breast Cancer, & Meditation

Did you know that chronic stress can increase your risk of breast cancer for a few reasons?

1. Stress can lead to inflammation in the body
2. Stress impairs detoxification, making it more difficult for your body to get rid of harmful toxins you're exposed to on a daily basis
3. Stress can lead to poor dietary choices, which can lead to things like inflammation in the body and weight gain
4. Stress leads to an increase in cortisol production (the stress hormone), which can lead to weight gain and something called estrogen dominance 

 And all of the above can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.

These days, most of us are in a state of chronic stress--juggling work, family, and the household alone can cause a significant amount of stress, and then add on the million other things thrown your way daily, and your body and brain stay in constant fight or flight mode.

Finding ways to decrease stress is necessary for not only your breast health, but also for your mental health and overall wellness. 

Enter: MEDITATION

If you’ve never tried meditation before, it may seem a little "out there." But, there are so many different types of meditation practices, there is probably at least one that would resonate with you. Plus, this doesn’t mean you have to sit in a quiet room cross-legged for hours on end, all dressed in white, not moving, and chanting (although you certainly can do that). Meditations can be as short as 2 or 3 minutes and there are some meditations that you can do while walking or doing other movements. 

 So, if you've never given meditation a try, I encourage you to give it a shot. Even 5 minutes of daily meditation can make a huge difference in your stress levels! And, there are so many apps or free meditation videos on YouTube that you can try. Here are a few apps that I really like for meditation:

Gabby app

Headspace app

Calm app

Insight Timer app

Happier app

If you would like more strategies to decrease your stress levels in order to decrease your risk of breast cancer, you should check out my FREE 4-Week Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Starter Kit! Click HERE to learn about it and download it now.