In a long conversation with her, she says that resuming life in a totally different way after cancer is not easy: In fact, she was diagnosed with this disease when she was only 22 years old and, moreover, in the midst of a pandemic. This is how he realized the need to require the psychological help that is needed only in difficult moments.
From your physical situation, Marta Gilart She says that she went through a chemotherapy treatment, mastectomy, various breast reconstruction operations and, on an emotional level, she relied on individual and group therapies that made her move forward, express herself and process all the way.
Now, from his Instagram profile, speak openly and with a touch of humor about cancer, his own experience, the hard times it entails and the difficult situations he had to face. Finally, she offers tools to learn to face a situation as tough as this disease. Managing emotions and how to decide to face them is basic to learning how to get ahead.
#The importance of learning to ask for help to overcome difficult times
Seeking help is brave; Value yourself and find a way to be happy. As Marta comments, “we must banish the idea of failure when asking for support, because we could never be failing while we seek to improve.” To do this, she adds “We must learn a complicated task, such as asking for help”.
“Vulnerability is not a bad thing, if you can’t handle everything, nothing happens,” Marta emphasizes. Vulnerability gives power because, from there, the only thing we can do is grow thanks to the emotional support of professionals and non-professionals who give us a hand in difficult times. Asking for help is the key.
«I needed psychological help when I was diagnosed. (…) Doing therapy helped me manage the tsunami that was coming over me ». Thanks to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) people who start a treatment process begin to understand certain things that they may not have understood before.
One of the most useful methods that Marta talks about is group therapy, which helps to get to know other people who are in the same situation and provides perspective to manage emotions.
Breaking taboos with psychological help and emotional support Complicated situations in life affect not only physically but also psychologically. Years ago, the help of mental health professionals was totally stigmatized and emotional support was superfluous. Today, we are breaking taboos to offer and receive the help we need on an emotional level.
Psychological support is basic in a disease treatment process, but it is also basic in many day-to-day situations that overwhelm us.. Marta Gilart tells us about the many taboos that exist around cancer and everything that goes beyond the disease itself. Terms like death, sexual life, even menopause that affect the mental level can drag us down and we lose the ability to manage our peace of mind.
Without psychological help and emotional support it is much more difficult to overcome difficult moments in life. We must be aware that there are many people who can accompany us.
#Creating connections through emotional support for difficult times
“Accompanying people who are having a hard time is very complicated,” Marta is sincere. However, there are many simple things we can do to help them in their process. Our guest gives us some examples from day to day: helping to make the purchase , create a playlist to listen to during treatment, invite a snack at home…”
“We are not alone, there is always someone who can help us”In this spirit, Marta has unexpectedly created an emotional support network for difficult times through Instagram. «When we connect, we can do incredible things, I have no doubt. (…) Individuality is not going anywhere,” says our guest.
#How to manage emotions
Expressing yourself as you feel and with total freedom is in itself a therapy. There is a great taboo with everything that encompasses cancer, but it is necessary to address it and, if necessary, feel vulnerable to move forward.
Marta opens up to us and tells us how she felt during the process of her illness: “You feel like an alien”. For this reason, it is essential to have a group with which to connect, speak naturally, express yourself without restrictions, empathize and thus better understand yourself and your environment.
This reciprocal process helps to manage emotions, understand them and try not to overwhelm us in difficult times and have a main goal to achieve, as he told us when we chatted with Teresa Perales, Paralympic medalist and recognized with the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports. And it is that when we connect we are stronger.
#What is Better Connected?
Better Connected is a Telefónica content platform where successful personalities such as Ferran Adrià, Teresa Perales, Javier Gómez Noya or Nacho Azofra, or other characters such as the entrepreneur Javier Perea, or the violinist Kamran Omarli, perfectly portray the idea that “when we connect, we are capable of doing incredible things”; which is the universal truth on which Better Connected is launched.
The objective of Mejor Conectados is none other than to value the power of human connections: “We want to make our world more humane by connecting people’s lives,” says José María Álvarez-Pallete, president of Telefónica. «At Telefónica, we believe in a more humane world. A world that moves thanks to the talent of people. That’s why we support talent the way we know best: connecting it. Mejor Conectados wants to be a place to be inspired, meet, connect and achieve incredible things”, explains Rafael Fernández de Alarcón, Director of Global Marketing at Telefónica.
#What can we find in each section of the platform?
In section ‘get inspired’ Testimonials from some brand ambassadors and well-known people will be displayed, such as the aforementioned tennis player Rafa Nadal, chef Ferrán Adrià, Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales, triathlete Javier Gómez Noya or former basketball player Nacho Azofra. In addition, Javier Perea, from Smart Protection, a start-up supported by Wayra, or Kamran Omarli, a violinist from the Telefónica Violin Chair at the Reina Sofía School of Music, also tell their story.
Likewise, along with the stories of these personalities, in Mejor Conectados we can find ‘Learn’. It is a series of small “master classes” in which great figures such as Perico Delgado, Iñaki Gabilondo, Toni Nadal, María Zabala, Rafa Nadal or Amaya Valdemoro offer, in first person, advice and reflections that can serve as inspiration and learning. In short, to establish better relationships in our day to day.
