Today on Feminine Roadmap Gina’s guest, Cynthia Hayes helps listeners navigate the emotional journey of cancer. As a cancer survivor herself, Cynthia has become a patient advocate and author of “The Big Ordeal: Understanding and Managing the Psychological Turmoil of Cancer”. She shares what cancer has taught her about life and the control we have. Practicing letting go of control is a big part of the learning curve of cancer and accepting that life is going to be a roller coaster of emotions makes it easier to deal with it. One of her greatest beliefs is that while most cancer patients feel isolated they actually experience many of the same emotions and struggles. Cynthia wants listeners to know that their emotional response to cancer, or the response of their loved ones, is totally normal and somewhat predictable. By acknowledging that it’s okay to not always feel strong, brave and ready to fight, Cynthia believes that understanding this alone helps cancer patients and their loved ones build true resilience. In our conversation she talks about the impact of stress on the brain, the emotions and the body, what it looks like to navigate all of that. She shares the three main coping strategies that people use and how those can all come into play depending on where you find yourself on any given day. Cynthia also gives us sound advice on how to support healthy conversations around the cancer patient’s emotional journey. Often in our attempts to encourage someone with cancer we inadvertently may actually be communicating in a way that feels like judgement or an expectation of a certain behavior. If you or a loved one are experiencing cancer, this conversation will empower you along that journey. Grab a cuppa something wonderful, a love one and hit play. This is a powerful and practical conversation. Please remember to subscribe, rate and share! Thank you!