Mindfulness and meditation are gentle, evidence-informed practices that can offer steadiness during the uncertainty of cancer – helping to soften stress, ease anxious thoughts, and support emotional wellbeing.
Safe, low-risk, and adaptable to your energy levels, these practices can be done alone or in a group setting. They are increasingly embraced within cancer centre programs as a way to nurture calm and a greater sense of balance throughout treatment and beyond.
Accessing stillness and presence
What it is
Meditation is a collection of practices that help cultivate awareness, focus, and a sense of inner calm. It’s about creating space to slow down, to breathe, to notice, and to soften.
It may include mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, transcendental meditation, or guided imagery. Each offers a slightly different pathway, but all are designed to help steady the mind and support emotional wellbeing.
How it helps
Meditation has been shown to help reduce pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and pre-treatment anxiety, while supporting emotional and physiological balance, such as lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones.
Getting started
- Hospitals and cancer support groups: Check with your local hospital and support groups about meditation and relaxation groups.
- Cancer Council NSW: Offers podcasts like “Meditation and Relaxation” and “Finding Calm During Cancer,” which can be accessed online.
- Cancer Council WA: Hosts the “Life Now Meditation” online program, a free six-week course for people with cancer and their carers, available to West Australians.
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: Has its own meditation soundtrack available for patients and carers.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, US: Guided practices for every stage of cancer – from diagnosis, treatment and survivorship to symptom relief such as sleep disturbance, pain, and anxiety.
Staying present with mindfulness
Mindfulness is a specific form of meditation that invites you to pause, notice the present moment, and meet it with openness and kindness – without judgment.
How it helps
Research shows mindfulness can ease cancer-related fatigue, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety and low mood. Structured programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) offer guided ways to practice, often blending meditation, gentle movement, and body-awareness exercises.
With regular practice, mindfulness can enhance resilience, support emotional balance, and help you feel more grounded throughout and beyond cancer.
Getting started
- Hospital programs: Check whether your cancer centre runs mindfulness programs. Examples include Chris O’Brien Lifehouse (open to the public), which include free drop-in sessions, paid sessions, and specific courses like the Mindfulness for Uncertainty Course.
Self-guided tools: Try online programs, or download a mindfulness app like InsightTimer on your smartphone.
