And, it’s value extends well outside the confines of work! As a breast cancer survivor, and someone who lost a young sister to a rare form of cancer, I have found mindfulness and meditation to be instrumental practices in managing the self-talk, storytelling that usurps a more positive, healthy and relaxed response to emotions that threaten my ability to be resilient and strong.

In health care today, the conventional system is designed around fixing symptoms and eradicating biological disease. Unfortunately, at least with cancer, the lack of an overall wellness focus — or the skill and resources to support the psychological and emotional factors ailing the patient — have been shown in research to be related to higher cancer incidence, poorer cancer survival and higher cancer mortality.

Mindfulness and meditation, should they be more prevalent and personalized, are tools that empower patients to reverse the negative thoughts and emotional distress that exacerbates an already very toxic journey to survival.