Not putting ourselves first, always thinking of others.

I completely agree with you. I'm an extreme worry-wart, especially when it comes to my kids. I've pretty much slept with one eye open ever since my kids were born and worry every time they leave the house, even though they've never given me a reason to. I always worry that they'll come home safe. I worry about them, women on this board, friends, finances, the weather...you name it. I can say without hesitation that worrying all the time about everybody else caused my breast cancer at 31. I've been slowly trying to change it over the years but it just doesn't seem to work.

ETA: Tricia, I am sorry for what your husband did to you. Life is so unfair sometimes. He's the jack-ass and you get cancer.

There's some excellent, well-explained information on stress and the mind-body connection in David Servan-Schreiber's science-based book, Anti-Cancer, A New Way of Life.      

Early in my bc journey, a NP @ UCLA asked me if there had been any major stress in my life in the recent past, and expressed the hope that if there was, it was no longer a factor.  And because there had been and UCLA has always given me state-of-the-art, cutting edge advice, I've made a real effort since my dx to de-stress wherever I can and stress less and intentionally incorporate more relaxation techniques when it can't be entirely avoided.     

I also think sometimes women are reluctant to acknowledge that stress might play a role because they think that means it's somehow their fault, which it isn't.  No one knows what combination of factors causes anyone's individual bc, but if stress is one of many contributing factors, then it seems wise to me try to minimize it going forward.     Deanna

I believe stress has something to do with BC, too.  For 3 years before the BC diagnosis, I was down-in-the-dumps; everything seemed to be going wrong, beginning with the death of one parent to cancer.  I couldn't seem to make anything work during those 3 years.  I even would secretly worry that I would get cancer.  When I was diagnosed, it felt almost like I subconsciously made it happen.

But think of all the people who are stressed to the max and never get cancer.  In googling information about the connection between stress and cancer, I once found an article online about a study that concluded stress helps to protect a person from cancer.    So... who knows?  Maybe it all depends on the definition of stress.

Whatever the case, it probably doesn't hurt to make changes to bring peace back into our lives.  That is exactly what I have been trying to do, ever since the diagnosis.  Like Tricia above, I found out my husband had been betraying me.  But I am still moving forward with those little changes here and there in an effort to find some peace of mind.