SELF CARE! What, how, where, and why!

Self care is so important. It’s something I thought I was doing at times, and I probably was, but not really in the right ways I think. I am now trying to explore new acts of self care and encouraging myself to expand my repertoire of relaxation strategies!
I mentioned my boxing trainer in this vlog, if you want to see how awesome he is, check him out on instagram: / mrlukegrainger
I recorded this vlog while I was away on a 3-night retreat, so I'm back home again in the mean time but while away I recorded a couple of vlogs and because I had to manage my energy levels, and don't always know when I can record, AND because I like keeping you all posted regularly, I am posting these over time and not all at once. It's all still recent and relevant and as always, I keep you posted on how I am doing! See you very very soon again!
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For more behind the scenes follow me on instagram: / christine_phd
and on Twitter: / christine_phd
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#livingwithcancer #relaxationideas

[@mariafrancisco666]

This girls channel made me cry today. She was so young and just discovering so much about her life. I was blessed to have known you just through your channel. May God bless you Christine. You are an amazing person. I wished you were given more time on earth.

[@Thormp1]

I am an atheist I am 60 yrs old I have esophageal cancer. I am a veteran so I'm depending on the VA Hospital as I go into this. These videos Help me see what I'm going to go through, it is hard to watch. I go in soon for a full-body scan to see how extensive my cancer is. My concerns are what will happen to my 15 yr old daughter when I'm gone. My dogs are like children to me I live alone with my Anatolian shepherd, a silky terrier, and chihuahua. Self-employed have no money in savings. And living in a time of Pandemic. It's hard to be strong but I know I must. My love and best wishes go out to all the people in the world struggling in these hard times. I admire this beautiful young woman for her strength to make these videos.

[@welshlad6427]

How are you brother? Hope there has been some good news in your life?

[@Vanessa1234620]

She was a gaint in fighting cancer...she was somthing out of this world...somthing realy special...a planner...we can learn from her even now after she is gone ..she realy handled wat happend to her so well...look and learn..RIP....il never forget you...

[@ticklethypickle6368]

Missing her videos so much. She was wonderful.

[@ErikaMartinez-od1jr]

Seeing her videos come up in my recommended feed makes me so sad because she is gone. It wasn't even that long ago too just a couple months ago and She seemed great.

[@4estdweller4ever]

I just discovered Christine a couple days ago. Learned the same day that she had died. What a punch in the gut. I wish I could tell her what a beautiful, open hearted person she was. Such a sweet girl. 😢

[@SopranoFantab]

Thanks for your legacy of "self-care". As a recovering mental patient, I've struggled a whole lot with self-compassion, self-love, self-care. Hearing your ideas on it has given me a new perspective and much inspiration. You live on!

[@journey3337]

Such a great reminder. Depression has gotten the best of me during my healing time. I’ve wanted to vlog but are uncomfortable with the idea of someone I know/knew seeing it. So I’ve been closing privately. Hoping to be able to share in the future.

[@nahidbodiz7053]

RIP dear lady❤️❤️❤️

[@adrianmlridgewayarcmlramll1965]

Oh how miss you darling bunny girl, I know you’re gone, but watching you the videos makes it feel that you are still with us. I pray for continuously because you brought me so much joy and happiness, always so helpful and so positive, it was incredible that you managed all this whilst being so ill, oh Lord, my heart breaks into a million pieces remembering you. God Bless you for eternity, rest in paradise my pretty bunny girl 😩😩😩🛐🛐

[@carmenbuske3601]

Adrian I'm Dr.Christine's mother, every day in tiers every day crying this tragedy that we came in, the bad doctor Chandran who has misdiagnosed in Toronto, got a free pass, the CPSO told me that he has act in a right way when they know she was diagnosed with this bad man, that not supposed to be called Doctor, he is the reason that Christine lost her life, Christine was my only child worthy for a 1000 children, Thank you very much for your good hearth, you love to my Christine. I'm missing Christine every minute more, she was the best I have met in life. I hope Christine's book will come out this new year. in this book will be lots of damaged things that my lovely daughter came true, her life was a tragedy.

[@adrianmlridgewayarcmlramll1965]

@@carmenbuske3601 Hello Carmen my love, I’ve just seen your lovely, lovely message to me about your precious daughter Dr Christine, what a joy amid such terrible sadness. This is truly the most heartbreaking thing to have happened in my life, although I didn’t know Christine, I watched every video made with her, most many times over, I am, like you still heartbroken, destroyed and now cross that her loss was preventable except for this horrendous man, false doctor, he should be locked up forever. People like Christine come about only very occasionally making her loss even more unbearable for those of us left behind. My heart pours tears for you Carmen, to bear this loss must and is totally unbearable, I can only hope for Gods protection and love will be with you for an eternity, each day giving you peace, rest and comfort. Christine is safely in heaven with our Lord Jesus, the saints and angels, she will be there to greet us, those who loved her so very dearly, when our time comes, of this is a certainty. I have never in my life loved another human being so deeply, without ever meeting them, as your daughter, had she known me and liked me, I would have given her the world and more. Christine is forever etched deeply into my mind and soul for eternity, may God rest her precious soul. Am praying for you and your family, always. With love and respect, Adrian Ridgeway, organist of St Theresa’s Cathedral, Hamilton, Bermuda ❤️❤️❤️

[@migraine_mami]

💙🥺

[@karenmacphee9186]

Bless this Angel Lord🙏💗

[@lindalentz5093]

Rest with God😓

[@2009betterworld]

You look so GREAT! I watched some of your videos and prayed for you. I hope this is after all the hell you went through!

[@maryboyle2147]

Catherine passed away sadly I saw on another blog.

[@janicedoreen9733]

Lots of good ideas here! What I'd really like to know though is how you schedule yourself to take these breaks and relax, and whether you are managing to really do them all! keep up the awesome videos, love seeing your progress!

[@biohazardgirl7465]

You are on to something in the sense that I am feeling you wonder whether I get it all "done". I don't. I am still trying to retrain my brain and still trying to break old habits but I am slowly making progress, and that is already good!

[@HeatherStaines]

I love the oxygen mask comparison!

[@biohazardgirl7465]

:) it's true isn't it!

[@mindcache5650]

Then the bums complain about being in lockdown, eating pizza, drinking beers and watching Netflix all day. What a waste of a truly wonderful beautiful sweet soul.

[@carmenbuske3601]

The complaints to stay home, the complaints that they have to stay distant of their grandchildren, when they have children alive, when they have grandchildren what I never will get when my poor daughter was starting her life, she wants to get one dream only true, when she wants to work on our brilliant future that we build our self, no even to pay her education, all was done with Christine har work, she got her title as Dr. only 5 years prior to her departing, I hope her book will come out this new year, that is for what I'm still, try to be alive, every day is more difficult to walk alone without my beautiful Christine, she was the best I ever have to know.I become sick with the complaint of lots of people, also there talks about the elderly parent of 103 years old that passed away, they don't know what is tragedy. thank you very much for your good note.

[@balackjack42]

Makes me want to fill the tub in my hotel room and have a nice long soak. As a matter of fact, I think I will. Thanks for the idea. Just went on a little road trip today as I have a doctors appointment / consultation in the morning and radiation simulation. Finally going to find out all the spooky details from my latest PET scan. Looks like things are about to get started soon. Thanks for your vlog Christine, I hope all is going well for you. Looks like it is.

[@biohazardgirl7465]

Very exciting times for you Mark! how was the bath? I hope you took some time to relax and unwind! Things have been ROUGH this week. I had a few amazing days, even a couple with loads and loads of energy. Then crashed physically and mentally. In good part due to tensions at home (sometimes family takes the situation far more difficult than we do. it is also what my anxiety is about. like you the disease actually is giving me suprisingly little anxiety - most of the time - it is the stuff/people around it that does!)

[@biohazardgirl7465]

am double crossing all fingers and toes that your consultation went as well as it can, and the news is as positive as it can be!

[@balackjack42]

@@biohazardgirl7465 The bath was good, but the results were not very good at all. Going to start radiation on March 25 for 2 weeks to shrink the tumor in my esophagus, for a better quality of life. Then probably chemo in my home town once that it done to try and slow down the cancer spread. It is stage IV. I have cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck, below my stomach and places in between. She did mention the word uncureable, but what do they know really? I will show them, they obviously don't know who they are dealing with. Lol. I did kind of expect to hear this kind of news, although I was pretty hopeful there for awhile. Life still goes on.

[@biohazardgirl7465]

@@balackjack42 it sounds very similar to my journey and diagnosis. and yes they seem to LOVE the word incurable. screw that. you got this and so do I! I am happy for you you are getting radiation for the big one, they are refusing me on that so that sucks a bit for me but I am so glad you are getting that. chemo CAN make a difference, and nutrition is also a huge thing. Are you getting FOLFOX chemotherapy? IF so, I have a few other tips I can share :)

[@biohazardgirl7465]

one more little thing, I was just thinking about the term "incurable" (and have been a lot as that's the first I was told too). I don't know if I am being irresponsible in saying this so I don't know if I want to put this in a video, but there are lots of things that are incurable, and people can live with it. Also, there are lots of cases of radical remission. Conventional oncology doesn't keep track of people like that, because when they don't come back they are either cured or dead. There is a book I was reading called "radical remission" by Kelly Turner. It raises the issue of people not keeping track of those that do go into remission, so do they go into the stats? I sort of doubt they do all the time, or reliably.

[@OrahLoves]

Sad