Checking For Breast Cancer Is More Important Than Checking The Notifications On Your Phone

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Just like you have your daily CTM skin routine or oiling the hair routine every week, it is also important to take care of your breasts regularly. is important to also take care of your breasts regularly. Breast changes should seek more attention than the notifications on your phone. Regular self-examination of your breasts is the best way to detect breast cancers and catch them early. If breast cancer is caught early is treated more successfully.

Here are 4 easy steps to do a self breast exam

1. Stand in front of a mirror, place your hands on your hips and look at your breasts for their usual size, shape, and color. Look for any uneven shape, visible distortion or swelling. Look out for these:

· Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin

· Nipple has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)

· Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

· Any fluid discharge coming from one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).

Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.

2. Using your right hand feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Do this lying down. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Check the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side in a circular motion. Start from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.

3. Follow a same pattern throughout. Start at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast and then move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows. Feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you’ve reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.

4. Now feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. The easiest way to feel the breasts is when the skin is wet and slippery, so you can do this in the shower. Cover your entire breast, and repeat step 3.

What to do if you find an abnormality?

Do not panic if you think you feel a lump in your breast. Get in touch with your doctor if you’ve noticed a lump or other breast change that is mentioned above. Most women may have some lumps or lumpy areas in their breasts and most turn out to be benign (not breast cancer). Non-cancerous breast lumps may be caused due to hormonal changes, a benign breast condition, or an injury.

Also, there are changes in the breasts throughout the menstrual cycle: breasts may seem to get bigger or more prominent in some way. Menstruators may want to wait until after your period to see if the lump or other breast change disappears on its own before calling your doctor.

The doctor may do a physical exam of the breasts and may ask for breast cancer imaging tests. Both an ultrasound and a mammogram are typically recommended to evaluate a lump in women who are over age 30 and not pregnant or breastfeeding. Further tests may include additional imaging with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), MBI (molecular breast imaging), and/or a biopsy if required.

It is important to make sure to get an explanation of the cause of the lump or breast change from your doctor, and, if necessary, a plan for monitoring it or treating it. Don’t hesitate to get a second opinion if you are not comfortable or satisfied with the doctor.

How often should one do breast self-exam

Do breast self-examination once a month to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel especially after your period ends, when your breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender. If you don’t menstruate, choose a day that’s easy to remember and follow it every month. The upper, outer area around the armpits has the most prominent lumps and bumps.

Record the findings of your breast self-exams in a diary as this may help you remember, every month what is “normal” for your breasts. Lumps may appear at certain times of the month and disappear as your body changes with the menstrual cycle (if you are still menstruating).

Source: breastcancer.org

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Ever felt like you’re running out of time in your career or that a 9-to-5 job isn’t enough? Or you need a six-figure salary in your twenties, a sea-facing villa, two or more cars, and a significant bank balance? Or that your coworkers and friends are performing better than you? Everything that causes you to feel frustrated and under a lot of pressure?

Well, welcome to the Hustle Culture!

Many of us have had those exhausting “9 to 5” days where you’re expected to work until the sunsets. For some of us, it’s more like a never-ending scramble to get the job done, do overtime, and go above and beyond to be considered an effective “employee.”

Hustle Culture is when one part of your life takes precedence over the other. In this instance, your work-life takes priority over your personal life. It makes you feel as if you have to overlook the portion of your life where you’re supposed to enjoy yourself, have fun, and just live happily.

Hustle Culture has a significant negative impact on a person’s mental health, leaving them frustrated and stressed. Panic attacks, anxiety, and despair are common side effects. It has a particularly dreadful effect on the younger generation, i.e., the New Age India.

In New Age India, the hustle culture refers to the younger generation’s desire to achieve everything quickly, ascend the ladder of success, and feel pressurized when someone else succeeds. This stress overwhelms and has a significant impact on mental health, which is more crucial than ever to preserve. In today’s India, the hustle culture simply means, “Go Hard or Go Home.” You must choose between fighting and fleeing. Constant stress causes your body to react negatively, releasing stress hormones and affecting your overall health.

It makes you not just psychologically exhausted, but also toxic in certain ways. Your persistent ambition to be on top causes you to put your career first while neglecting your personal life. While hustling might be viewed positively as pushing yourself to accomplish better, it still requires diligent attention, which the current generation lacks.
Read about the effects of constant stress on your body, right here.

Are You Affected By Hustle Culture?

Consider these points:

You neglect your personal life in order to concentrate on your professional life.
You dedicate the majority of your time aiming to fixing your career.
Seeing other people’s accomplishments makes you feel pressured.
You accept every duty assigned to you, even though you already have too much on your plate.
You’ve been deprived of sleep for the most part.
You’re working more hours but aren’t receiving any rewards.
You are unable to distinguish between your professional and personal lives.
You are unable to take a day off.

If you answered yes to the majority of these questions, you’re stuck in the hustling culture.

Why It Is Important to Break Away From Hustle Culture?

Everything comes down to one thing. This Hustle Culture’s toxicity. It’s exhausting, and it’s a never-ending loop that traps you until you either quit or your mental health deteriorates altogether. It’s a societal expectation that you give your 200 percent in whatever you do. There is no stopping; you must always be on the move; you must work quicker, harder, and more aggressively- EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Your employer tucks you with impending chores every time you consider taking a vacation. You can’t take breaks, you can’t sleep without thinking about your presentation the next day; you’re living a life you never imagined. This is New Age India’s Hustle Culture, in which the younger generation is unsatisfied with a single job. It requires more, and in order to do so, it must work harder.

We’re not proposing you shouldn’t work or celebrate your accomplishment. You ought to. It’s something you desire and need, but not at the expense of your mental health. The hustle culture is harmful because it fosters the erroneous belief that you are only appreciated as a human being if you work continuously, are productive, and can work even harder in the most difficult of circumstances. For all we know, this is the definition of toxicity.

And did we mention that hustle culture even leads to procrastination, mistakes, and losing interest in your work altogether?

What Can You Do to Break Away From This Culture?

India in the twenty-first century is productive, creative, and intelligent. And for that, this hustle culture is unproductive and unhealthy. Now that we’ve established what hustle culture is and how it affects the younger generation, let’s discuss what you should do if you find yourself trapped in its toxicity-

Begin with awakening- You must analyze yourself and assess if you are caught up in the never-ending cycle of hustling culture. Once you’re conscious of it, you’ll be able to progress and change for the best.
Figure out what’s most important to you- Take some time to jot out your long-term goals and consider whether you’re accomplishing them. Is it true that you’re succeeding?
Make a list of objectives for your ideal day- Make a schedule for your ideal day that coincides with your work schedule. Do what’s best for your career and your health.
Take a break- It’s crucial to take some time away from your work to explore and learn what interests you more. That’s how you’ll be able to maintain a healthy balance in your life while achieving your objectives.
Work hard, but relax even harder- Yes, you must work hard to reach your goals. You must be enthusiastic about your job. However, to cure your mental health, you must indulge in self-care on a regular basis. Take a mental health check day to earn some “me time.”

Overall, make smaller goals to avoid procrastinating or making errors during work. Keep track of how much energy you have. Try journaling, going for a walk with your pet, or trying your hand at pottery. Simply said, your mental health should take precedence over your professional life. Don’t worry about the ongoing project if you have your week off on Sunday. You are not compensated to be stressed out or worried about work when on vacation.

Also check out our blog on how to manage stress : Stress Management And What To Do!