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When you're told you have a chronic illness—or that your condition has changed in a big way—everything shifts. You're trying to process what this means for your body, your life, your future… while the world just keeps going on around you. 

In this episode of Wellbeing Interrupted, I speak directly to that moment—when everything feels uncertain. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or you’re navigating a new prognosis, I share the one thing you can control: your environment. 

Drawing from what I’ve learned through MS and now stage 4 breast cancer, I explain how protecting your energy and intentionally shaping your surroundings can help you access the strength you need to move forward. 

You Don’t Have to Be in Control of Everything 

One of the biggest lessons MS taught me—especially in the early, chaotic days—was to let go of the things I couldn’t control. When my PET scan results confirmed the cancer had spread to my liver and bones, I couldn’t change that. 

But I could control the space around me. The people I allowed in. The energy I surrounded myself with. That’s where I started—and that’s what helped me start to feel stronger again. 

Start With Who You Let In 

I’ve become really choosy about the people in my circle. If someone adds to your stress—even if they mean well—you don’t need them in your space when you’re feeling vulnerable. 

That doesn’t mean cutting people off forever. It just means putting yourself first while you process and recover. You don’t have to return every message or explain everything to everyone. I’ve sent heart emojis as replies to texts when I didn’t have the energy to talk. That was enough. 

Build a Medical Team You Trust 

I’ve also learned how important it is to have a medical team that truly aligns with your values. When I was first diagnosed with MS, I quickly realised the doctor who diagnosed me wasn’t going to be the one to help me walk again. 

I needed someone else—someone I could trust, someone I could connect with. And I found him. He supported me for 10 years and made a massive difference in my life. 

If your doctor makes you feel rushed, unheard, or dismissed—you don’t have to stay. You’re allowed to choose someone who helps you feel stronger. 

Work With Practitioners Who Align With You 

Natural therapies can be a powerful part of your healing journey, but they still need to feel right. If a practitioner doesn’t align with your beliefs—or pressures you to go against your instincts—it’s okay to walk away. 

Just like your medical team, your natural therapists are part of your healing environment. They need to make you feel safe and respected. 

Be Mindful of What You Absorb Online 

Facebook groups and online communities can be helpful—or overwhelming. I’m in a group for people with stage 4 breast cancer, and it’s a surprisingly positive space. But I know that in the early days, it might have felt too much. 

If anything you’re reading online adds to your stress or fear, it’s okay to step back. You can always come back later. Give yourself permission to protect your energy here too. 

Final Thoughts 

There are so many things you can’t control when you're living with illness. But your environment—the people around you, the care you receive, the energy you let in—is something you can shape. 

And the more you shape that space with intention, the more it can support you. 

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. And giving yourself what you need, right now. 

Take the Healing Journey Quiz 

If you’re not sure where you are emotionally—or you just want to understand your mindset a bit more—take the free Healing Journey Quiz. 

It’s designed to help you identify what stage you’re in and offer simple, supportive ways to move forward. 

👉 Take the quiz here 

Transcript Episode 67 A New Diagnosis or Prognosis? Here’s the One Thing You Can Control.

Teisha Rose: [00:00:00] Hi there, Teisha here and welcome to episode 67 of Wellbeing Interrupted. Another solo episode this week, sorry. Um, because as I mentioned, I think last week or the week before, quite a few new people, which is amazing, are starting to listen to Wellbeing Interrupted, also part of the Hurdle to Hope community, , and all the things I'm doing, not just with practitioners dealing with burnout, but also for those living with health conditions and. I guess I just want people to know a little bit more about me and also my outlook as to how I've approached living with my two health conditions, MS. And now Cancer.

Today, I really wanna focus on supporting those, going through a new diagnosis or a new prognosis. Because they can be really, [00:01:00] really difficult times. And I guess just because you see me here at Daisy Hill, having this amazing, peaceful, very zen existence at the moment does not mean I haven't been through some of these really dark periods.

And for me now. Being able to reflect on those periods means that I can share some of the things that have helped me navigate those. Because although, I shared and Louise Butcher, for example, when we chatted about having our mastectomies and saying that we're accepting those. Now, that doesn't mean that during those moments.

It was awful. It was such a difficult, difficult time and there's no way I would've thought at 50 I would be using a walker. Not all the time, but when I'm out on our land and going for long walks, I'm using an [00:02:00] aid to help me walk. I'm flat chested, you know, I would never have dreamt that that would be my life.

So obviously going through that has been really, really difficult. But getting through to the other side, now I'm at that other side of accepting that and still being excited about my future that all those lessons I've learned. That's what I wanna share with you. So today I really wanna hone in and if you are going through a really difficult time at the moment, I wanna chat about one thing you really can control when you're going through difficult times.

And that is learning how to protect your energy by creating an environment that supports your healing and helps you access and tap into your strength. And that's so important on the [00:03:00] darkest of days. So hopefully you get a bit out of this episode.

 You might be sitting there right now thinking, I've got no idea what to do next. I've just received this diagnosis or new prognosis, and what do [00:04:00] I do? Or maybe you're trying to be strong for everyone else around you and inside you're falling apart. You're so scared, you don't know what to do.

On the outside, you might be calm, but on the inside it's definitely not like that. When I was first diagnosed with ms. Sort of thinking back, I think I had no idea what I was in for and what do they say? Um, ignorance is bliss and probably that was the case. So I didn't tell anyone. Not for a good six months, especially at work.

I didn't tell people because it didn't impact me. It was only when I struggled to walk that I had to let everyone know. With stage four breast cancer, a little bit different. I definitely told everyone, well, no, that's not true. I told people those close to me about what was happening, but it was so scary, and what I [00:05:00] remember in those moments is that life around you.

Continues on as if nothing has changed, whereas you are walking around thinking, my life will never be the same. I've got no idea what to do. I don't know what my next step is. I'm so uncertain now about my future,

and that is such a difficult period to navigate because you've gotta really balance feeling the emotions. Absolutely. But then somehow you've got to step into action pretty quickly because you've got doctor's appointments. You are surrounded by different treatment plans being talked about, so there's so much you have to do while you're trying to process your emotions

so what MS really taught me, because I went through some really, really difficult times with MS, [00:06:00] was in those dark periods. In those times where you're facing a new prognosis or for others new diagnosis, you really need to focus on what you can control.

There are so many moments that you can't control in living with your illness or going through a diagnosis. You can't control at that moment what the test results have said. My test results, the PET scan that my surgeon was reading was the cancer spread. It's now I can see it. It's in your liver, it's in your sternum, scapula.

. In that moment, I can't control that. But what I can control is the environment around me that enables me to process that information and work out what's next. And that's what I wanna really focus on today. So. [00:07:00] If you are feeling really anxious and stress, just keep reminding yourself.

You can have an impact. You can control the environment around you. That's the people around you, the messages you absorb, the energy you let in. So creating an environment that's conducive to healing, that's not a one-off task. That's not something I've done when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Or that's something I'm doing all the time and it's a real practice.

It's something that I'm getting better and better at doing, and that has had a massive, massive impact on my healing.

Okay. Apologies if there's a bit of noise. I can just hear that Andrew started up the tractor. There's two guys working on our units. As I've said before, it's not the ideal setup at the moment, but it's all I can [00:08:00] do. Um, yeah, so hopefully there's not too much noise around us because I don't. Want them to tell.

I don't want to say to stop, 'cause I'm so desperate to get out of our caravan. So we'll keep going. And what I wanna focus on now is how you can create this environment so it's easy for me to say, create an environment that's conducive to your healing. But what does that mean? First of all, you need to make sure that the friends and family members around you are not adding to your stress and anxiety.

That's so important. Sometimes that requires you to really put yourself first, to really think, okay, I'm dealing with this diagnosis. I'm scared, but who's. Feeding that anxiety or who's adding to my calm and those adding to your calm, [00:09:00] that's who you need around you during this moment. And Ms. Taught me to be really choosy if I knew someone visiting me.

Visiting main hospital. Was going to make me more stressed about the fact I couldn't move then I didn't need them there because they wouldn't be there that night when I couldn't sleep, when I was panicking and scared. And if someone, and just think of it now, if someone pops into your mind and you think, oh gosh, all of a sudden I'm feeling stressed, just minimize the contact at the moment while you're feeling really vulnerable.

And you don't need to explain that to people. You don't need to justify it to anyone, and you also don't need to, if you are needing a bit of space return, everyone's calls or messages. I know I had so many messages and it was so beautiful and in the [00:10:00] end I just sent love hearts back just so people knew I got the message.

I appreciated their support, but I just couldn't go over and over and over again my diagnosis. So just have a quick think. Who in your life helps you feel calm and strong? Helps you to tap into your strength or who drains your energy even if they don't mean to. So I really have a think about that today.

So we've talked about friends and family. Next is your medical team. Your medical team matters if you are going to heal. You need to surround yourself with a [00:11:00] good medical team that aligns with your approach to wellness. For me, Ms. Taught me that when I first had, I was diagnosed, I think it was, it was the October of 22, then it was about six months later, I had my first really difficult times in walking.

I knew. In that moment, the doctor that diagnosed me was not the doctor I needed to get. Walk in the, again, I needed someone else. And, um, looking back, I'm really proud of myself for doing that because in that moment I prioritize my approach. I knew what I needed, I knew I needed a doctor, yes. Was very capable of knowing what to do medically.

But I needed someone who was a good communicator, who had empathy [00:12:00] and I could build a connection with, so that new doctor I found was amazing, and I wouldn't be here today doing what I'm doing without him. And I was with him for that sort of 10 year period, and it makes me a little bit emotional because he's past now and he was such a beautiful soul.

And if I hadn't have changed, if I didn't follow my instinct to get someone who was aligned to me, things wouldn't have worked out so well.

So if there's someone in your medical team that doesn't align or doesn't make you feel like you can tap into your strengths, change them.[00:13:00]

So if there's someone in the medical team, your team, remember, it's your team who's helping you to heal. If you feel intimidated, if you don't feel like you're allowed to speak up, if your doctor doesn't align with your values, if you feel dismissed, rushed, unheard, it's okay to get a second opinion. You're not being difficult.

[00:14:00] You are taking control over your life and your healing.

So if you've left an appointment, feeling worse than when you walked in, and gosh, I've had some really, really scary appointments with not good news. But my breast surgeon, so beautiful, such a beautiful person that I walked out feeling at peace, my oncologist when the news wasn't great. I feel like, I felt like, okay, we can do this.

I felt confident. That's how you need to walk out. So it's not the [00:15:00] news they give you, it's how they give it to you. So if there's anyone in your team that is adding to your stress and anxiety, please speak up and put yourself first.

 ,

Teisha Rose: next one is natural therapies. If you are exploring natural or complementary therapies, that's fantastic. I certainly have. With ms, and I know that's contributed to my healing. I also have with cancer. If you're doing this, it's exactly the same as your medical team though. Work with practitioners who align with your beliefs and help you feel safe.

If you walk in, if you start talking and you think. No, this doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't right For your healing. Walk away. Have the confidence in yourself that [00:16:00] again, your wellbeing is paramount. You are the priority. You know your body better than anyone else. So don't stay in that treatment out of guilt.

Don't stay because you know you're worried, you'll hurt someone's feelings. Just be really confident that you need to earn my trust to be part of my team. This team is helping me to heal. So again, make sure you have people in your team that you feel aligned to.

Okay, let's now talk about your online presence online Facebook groups. They can be a beautiful space. I totally get that. I'm part of a group for people with stage four breast cancer. Yeah, and surprisingly, it's such a positive group and it enables people to share their fears in a [00:17:00] safe place. But I can also see how that might be a really difficult space for someone newly diagnosed or going through that real stress and anxiety of the impact of their diagnosis and , not sure what's ahead.

So if you're part of any of these groups. Which may be beautiful spaces, but if they're adding to your stress and fear, just hit pause on your involvement for the moment. , you can always go back to them, but really be in tuned with how they make you feel. Are they making you feel calm? Are they helping you stay present?

Are they helping you feel like you can get through what you're going through? So, again, like I've said with family members, friends with practitioners, if someone or a group is not adding to your [00:18:00] ability to prioritize your health and wellbeing, then withdraw from that and go back to it another time, but just not for the time being.

And do that with all your groups or your even people you follow on Instagram or TikTok. If they're adding to your stress or they're making you feel not as confident in your ability to deal with what you're going through, again, .

Just don't follow them, just for the time being.

 So just remember, if nothing else from today that if you're going through a health crisis, a diagnosis, new symptoms, whatever it is, the one thing you really can control is creating an environment that enables you to tap into your strengths. And sometimes that may involve making difficult decisions, but you need to have the confidence to do that because your [00:19:00] wellbeing matters.

So as I've mentioned, look at those around you, the people around you, family members, friends, who in that group. Adds to your anxiety. If they do, then just minimize contact for the moment. Then we talked about medical practitioners, your medical team, make sure they are there and align with how you wanna approach your illness.

Then we talked about. Um, natural therapists. Make sure, again, just like medical practitioners, that you feel right in their presence and you know that they will help you to heal.

Then we talked about online space, so Facebook groups, for example, your. Involved in even people you follow on Instagram or TikTok. Just make sure when those interactions finish, that your anxiety levels haven't increased, you know, [00:20:00] you are not even more worried about your future. So just be again, reflective on that really sense in your body, how you feel after those interactions.

So again, everything I've been chatting about is about you taking the bit of control and power back. It's really about you looking at your environment and making sure that's conducive to your wellbeing. . So I really hope you found some of this useful today.

I know this is what I automatically did when being diagnosed with breast cancer. Without realizing I straight away created an environment that enabled me to tap into my strengths to get through the massive challenge of a stage four breast cancer diagnosis, and it worked. So that's why I'm really passionate.

About sharing all of this with you.

 . Before I go, I want to talk [00:21:00] about the Healing Journey quiz. I did this about a year ago and I've recently updated it with some more information. I. And I really encourage you if you've just been diagnosed with an illness, if you're dealing with new symptoms and new prognosis, this is definitely for you.

Go to hurdle to hope.com/quiz. Remember, hurdle to hope with a number two. I call it the Healing Journey quiz because you can see where you are on your healing journey and what you need to do to get through that stage. Also what you need to do to keep moving forward. If you've been living with your health condition for a while, this quiz is just as much for you because you go through that initial crisis, but it doesn't stop there.

There's so much you can keep doing to keep healing. So also visit hurdle to [00:22:00] hope.com/quiz. After you complete it, I send you emails with different resources, have different chats with you, so more information. I'm actually more confident than ever that all of this works because I've applied all of these insights I've learned from MS to cancer and it's worked and I'm feeling the best I have in years.

So hopefully you have a great week. I'm actually heading to hospital tomorrow for a day. Oncology infusion for ms. Really confusing my life. At times. I think I sit there surrounded by people with cancer, but I'm there because of my ms. And yeah, who would've thought four years ago when I started all of this that I'd get cancer as well?

But that's what this quiz is all about. You know, that we don't know [00:23:00] what's ahead of us, and that's okay. We don't need to live in fear. About that. Instead, we know that whatever happens, we can have an impact on that experience. Sorry, I'll stop talking. I can talk for ages and ages about this because I'm so passionate about helping you.

So do the quiz and let's connect some more and have a great week and we'll chat soon.

 [00:24:00]