Kirstie Blanchette

Life after breast cancer can feel like walking into a room where everything looks familiar, but nothing is quite the same. On the surface, you’re still you; the same name, the same smile, the same relationships, yet deep down, there’s a sense that something fundamental has shifted. And that’s because it has. Cancer changes you. Not always in ways you’d choose, and not always in ways that are easy to explain to other people, but in ways that are very real.

If you’re feeling exhausted — in body, mind, or spirit — you’re not alone. Rest is something we all need, but very few of us are taught how to actually do it. And after breast cancer, when you’ve been through months or even years of stress, treatment, and physical change, rest becomes more than just important. It becomes essential. And yet for so many women, resting feels almost impossible.

Have you ever noticed that when you are doing quite familiar and repetitive tasks, like driving your car, or hoovering, that your mind is often miles away thinking about something else? That can happen when we are worrying about cancer too. After breast cancer, your mind can feel like it’s always scanning for danger. Mindfulness helps soften this constant vigilance. Over time, you build the skill of gently noticing when your mind spirals into “what ifs” & guiding it back to the moment you’re in.