Picture this: You and your closest friends are catching up for your regular girl’s night, swapping stories, laughing until your bellies hurt and supporting each other to stay on top of your breast health.
That’s right – those chats with your besties can be about more than the day-to-day tasks and mishaps. With Pink Hope’s support, you can turn these beloved catch-ups into a well of breast health wisdom and empowering discussions.
We know it’s not always easy or comfortable to have these conversations, but it’s an essential step toward early detection and overall wellbeing.
If you’re unsure of how to make the first move, we’ve put together a few tips to help you approach the topic of self-breast checks confidently and compassionately (even if it feels a little awkward at first.)
Create a comfy environment
Opt for a cosy and relaxed setting for your conversation where everyone feels at ease. Choose a space where you can engage in an uninterrupted and meaningful discussion. Whether it's a walk on the beach, a coffee or matcha date, or a virtual hangout (but we know you’re probably over those!) Creating a comfortable environment sets the tone for a safe and supportive open dialogue.
Share your personal stories
Open the conversation by sharing your own self-breast check experience. Mention any insights you've gained or moments of uncertainty you've experienced. Sharing your personal story helps normalise the experience, making it easier for your breasties to open up and engage.
Pink Hope Community Insight:
Sam, HER2+ Breast Cancer, reflects, "When I first got diagnosed, I decided to share my story in detail from the beginning to my close-knit support network and some on social media. That has raised a lot of awareness and made people think, ‘Wow, that could happen to me.’ I’ve also had people reach out and say that because of what I’m sharing, they’ve gone to get checked too – and not necessarily for breast cancer, but whatever else they’ve been experiencing.”
Read more about Sam’s story here: Sam’s Story – “I didn’t have a regular self-check routine. I thought I was invincible.”
Share reliable facts & statistics
After you’ve gathered stats and reliable information from Pink Hope’s resources list, kickstart the conversation by sharing what you’ve learned. Discuss how self-breast checks play a vital role in early detection. You create an atmosphere that encourages learning and awareness by emphasising the significance of proactive breast health measures.
Use positive language, emphasise empowerment and sprinkle in a little humour
Infuse positivity by framing the discussion around empowerment and self-care. Incorporating phrases such as "taking control of your breast health" and "prioritising self-care" can be helpful to set the right tone. A well-timed joke or a funny story helps diffuse any initial awkwardness and makes the conversation more relaxed.
Share valuable resources to inform and educate
Introduce your breasties to reliable sources of information like resources from Pink Hope's website and our self-breast check reminder service. Providing important tools reinforces the idea that they're not alone in their experience toward better breast health, and they can learn more about self-breast checks in their own time if they feel more comfortable.
Pink Hope Community Insight:
Angela, BRCA 2 & DCIS Breast Cancer, reflects, "Pink Hope for me has been instrumental in encouraging me to be proactive in my health. I found the events and resources informative and their blogs with personal stories so empowering. Those stories provided so much comfort for me, knowing that I wasn’t alone."
Read more about Angela’s story here: Angela’s Story – “I feel like a Pink Hope success story…they’ve been instrumental in encouraging me to be proactive in my health, and I was able to come out on the other side.”
Go slow and respect boundaries
Some of your breasties may seem more reserved with sharing their experiences, and that’s perfectly okay! Stay sensitive to their comfort level. There’s no need to push the topic if someone isn’t ready to open up just yet. They’ll still get a lot out of the conversation just by standing back and being part of an empowering and uplifting space.
Normalise the conversation
Conversations about breast health don’t need to be so heavy – you can frame them as a regular part of self-care and wellness, just like sharing your favourite recipes, workout routines, or other self-care rituals.
Accountability breasties
Propose a collaborative approach to self-breast checks. Suggest signing up for Pink Hope’s automated self-breast check reminder together and keep each other accountable by setting a playful challenge every six weeks. This could involve setting up a group chat, and the first to complete their self-breast check sends a high-five emoji to indicate they’ve done their check. The winner gets shouted a coffee or delicious treat at the next catch-up.
Make your challenges as fun as you want, as long as you and your breasties are in it together! After all, healthy competition can be a great motivator.
Initiating empowering conversations with your breasties about self-breast checks is an act of self-care that fosters awareness and proactive health choices. Each meaningful discussion contributes to a more informed and breast-confident community.
Want to dive deeper and learn more about self-breast checks? Explore Pink Hope's Self-Breast Check resource page here.
