TNBC And Your Career

You’ve taken years to build your career and you don’t want cancer to take that away. You know you’ll need to slow down, but you still need to pay bills. Most women decrease their workload by 50% during cancer treatment while paying their bills and out of pocket treatment expenses.1 So how can you continue your career and work after a TNBC diagnosis, while keeping stress to a minimum?

Increase flexibility & reduce workload

Cancer treatment is physically and emotionally hard. You’ll most likely find it harder to articulate yourself and get tasks done as efficiently as you once did. You might need flexibility to attend appointments and scans. You might feel too tired to work into the afternoon and you may need to slow down.

Despite your natural fears, asking for flexibility and slowing down will not impact your reputation or your career.

Elise, a 33-year-old TNBC patient said: ‘I found it hard to slow down despite my employer suggesting it. It was tough to let go when I’d worked so hard to be where I was. But I’ve now found ways to support my health while growing my career’.

Under Australian law, you may make a request to your employer for a flexible work schedule, such as work from home days or adjusting your start and end time to suit your energy levels.2  If your request is approved by your employer, this may mean you can work fewer hours, reduced number of days, or ask for extra breaks because of pain, fatigue or to attend medical appointments.

There are several types of leave options available to help balance work and treatment. The National Employment Standards outline the rules for several types of paid and unpaid leave, which apply under most awards or enterprise agreements in Australia.2

Request the ability to set your own deadlines or work independently to help you better manage your workload and schedule. Ask to customise your workload such as reducing the number of projects you work on, or the type of projects and tasks you do.

There are great resources on the Cancer Council website.3 They suggest creating a written return to work plan when you’re ready to return to work, or if you’re changing your working arrangement during treatment. A return-to-work plan is prepared by you, your doctor, and your employer outlining your approach to returning to work.

Reduce stress

Despite a TNBC diagnosis being a very stressful time of your life, the more you can reduce your stress levels, the better you will feel overall. Be kind to yourself. You won’t be able to do everything you once could. You may not feel as energetic, positive, or determined. Some days you won’t be able to work. Try not to resent yourself. Accept that your body is trying to heal.

Start your day slow. Take regular breaks during your day and get out in nature, even if all you manage is a slow walk. Read a book or listen to music. Find something each day that makes you smile.

Rest is critical for our body to repair itself. Sleeping well can be hard during chemo, so try to avoid caffeine after noon, wind down with meditation at night, keep electronics in another room, and wear an eye mask and earplugs to keep your room dark and quiet.

Meditation isn’t necessarily about quietening your mind, it can help you calm down, connect with your body, and listen to what it needs. Meditation apps, such as Insight Timer have guided affirmations, breathing, and visualisation meditations. Complementary therapies like acupuncture, oncology massage and infra-red saunas can help you relax, have time to yourself and help your body heal.4

Set boundaries & re-prioritise what’s important.

Even if you don’t usually think about boundaries, they are crucial during cancer. No one has their usual energy, tolerance, or patience during treatment. Maintaining good relationships with family, friends, and work colleagues may take more thought than usual. The most important rule is to take the best possible care of yourself in all circumstances.5

Think about how much information you want to share, be comfortable saying no or cancelling last minute, and limit what you take on.

For Elise, setting boundaries meant reducing hours, moving into a new team, and scheduling time off before and after scans to manage her anxiety.

Use some of your downtime to reflect on what’s important to you. If you find yourself doing things that feel meaningless or unenjoyable at work, perhaps it’s time to stop. Reflect on your career. Do you work with people you like and respect? How about the organisation you work for? If you could, what would you change? Think about your workday. Which routines help and which drain you?

If you could bring more of what you love into each day, what would that be? Find what you’re interested in and do more of it.
If there’s one thing that comes with a cancer diagnosis, it’s the permission to put yourself first and change your life.

1. Financial impacts of breast cancer in Australia Breast Cancer Network Australia November 2016
2. Cancer, Work & You (cancercouncil.com.au)
3. Making a Return to Work Plan | Cancer, Work & You | Cancer Council NSW
4. Complementary and alternative medicines and therapies | Breast Cancer Network Australia (bcna.org.au)
5. Coping with Cancer by Setting Boundaries | BIDMC of Boston

This content was originally posted on https://ourtnbc.com.au/tnbc-and-your-career/