7 Lifestyle Changes That Helped Me Support My Body During Breast Cancer
Veronika Bubenickova is the founder of Lotus Journey, a breast cancer survivor, author, Lifestyle Oncology Practitioner and Transformational Breast Cancer Coach. Following her own diagnosis at 39, she now helps women navigate breast cancer and recovery by supporting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of healing.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39, I quickly discovered that my life had become filled with appointments. My calendar revolved around consultations, scans, chemotherapy sessions and treatment plans. Every member of my medical team was focused on one objective: treating the cancer.
I will always be grateful for the expertise, compassion and dedication of the healthcare professionals who cared for me. Their work was essential to my recovery.
Yet, as I moved through treatment, I found myself asking questions that no one seemed to have time to answer. How could I better support my body during chemotherapy? What foods would nourish me rather than simply fill me? How could I reduce inflammation? What role did sleep, stress and movement play in my recovery? How could I help my body cope with treatment and prepare for life beyond it?
These questions led me to discover Lifestyle Oncology, an approach informed by evidence that focuses on the everyday habits that support health and wellbeing before, during and after cancer treatment. It does not replace medical care. Instead, it complements it by helping patients optimise the aspects of their health that are within their control.
Looking back, embracing these principles became one of the most empowering parts of my journey. While I could not control every outcome, I could choose how I cared for myself each day.
Nourishing my body rather than simply eating
One of the first changes I made was to completely rethink my relationship with food. Instead of asking, “What can I eat?” I began asking, “What will nourish my body today?”
My plate gradually became filled with colourful vegetables, fruit, legumes, herbs, spices, nuts and seeds. I explored ingredients that could help reduce inflammation, increased my intake of fibre and focused on eating foods that supplied vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Fresh juices and smoothies became a practical way to increase my fruit and vegetable intake, particularly on days when treatment affected my appetite.
This was not about perfection or restrictive dieting. It was about giving my body the building blocks it needed while it was working incredibly hard to heal.
Movement became an act of self-compassion
There were days when exercise meant taking a gentle walk around the block. On other days, it meant simply stretching or breathing deeply.
I learned to stop measuring movement by calories burned or distances covered. Instead, I viewed it as a way to improve circulation, maintain strength, lift my mood, and remind my body that it was still capable. The goal was not performance. The goal was partnership with my body.
Sleep became part of my treatment plan
Before cancer, I often viewed sleep as something that could be sacrificed. After my diagnosis, I realised that restorative sleep was one of the greatest gifts I could offer my body.
Creating a calming evening routine, reducing stimulation before bed and allowing myself genuine rest became just as important as attending my medical appointments. Healing requires energy, and sleep is one of the body’s most remarkable ways of restoring itself.
Reducing stress was no longer a luxury
Cancer forced me to acknowledge something I had ignored for years. My body had been living under chronic stress long before my diagnosis.
While stress alone does not cause breast cancer, living in a constant state of tension can affect many aspects of our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Meditation, breathwork, journalling, spending time in nature and energy healing became regular practices that helped calm my nervous system. More importantly, they helped me reconnect with myself during a time when life felt deeply uncertain.
Healing my emotional wellbeing
One of the greatest lessons I learned was that emotional health deserves as much attention as physical health. Fear, grief, anger and uncertainty are natural responses to a cancer diagnosis. Ignoring those emotions does not make them disappear.
For me, healing meant creating space to process what I was experiencing rather than carrying it alone. Coaching, therapeutic approaches, meditation, and honest conversations became as valuable to my recovery as many of the practical lifestyle changes I introduced. The healthier I became emotionally, the more resilient I felt physically.
Reducing what no longer served me
Healing was not only about adding healthier habits. It was also about letting go.
I began reducing unnecessary stress, setting healthier boundaries, spending less time with draining influences and becoming more intentional about what I allowed into my life. This extended beyond relationships to the products I used in my home, the information I consumed and even the expectations I placed upon myself.
Cancer became an invitation to simplify and prioritise what truly mattered.
Healing is about more than surviving
Perhaps the greatest gift Lifestyle Oncology gave me was a new perspective. Instead of seeing health as something that depended solely on hospital appointments, I began recognising the extraordinary power of everyday choices.
No single food, supplement or habit can guarantee an outcome, and Lifestyle Oncology should never be viewed as a replacement for medical treatment supported by evidence. However, our daily habits influence how we feel, how we recover and how we live.
For me, these changes did far more than support my body during treatment. They helped me build a healthier, more intentional and more meaningful life.
Today, when I work with women navigating breast cancer, I encourage them to see healing as a partnership. Your medical team brings knowledge, skill and treatment. You bring your daily choices, your resilience and your commitment to caring for yourself. Both matter because healing is about far more than reaching the end of treatment. It is about creating a life in which your body, mind and soul have the opportunity to flourish long after cancer.
To access my free Breast Cancer Support & Healing Series, please visit here.
Read more from Veronika Bubenickova
Veronika Bubenickova, Transformational Breast Cancer Coach and Therapist
Veronika Bubenickova is a breast cancer survivor, author, speaker, Lifestyle Oncology Practitioner and Transformational Breast Cancer Coach. Following her own diagnosis in 2023, she embarked on a profound healing journey that transformed every aspect of her life. Today, she helps women navigate breast cancer and recovery by addressing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of healing. She is the founder of Lotus Journey and author of Diary of a Soul Reborn, with a mission to help women thrive beyond breast cancer, not just survive it.
