Nichols, 71, of Boerne, a seminary-trained spiritual author of a dozen books, is the primary caregiver for her husband of 36 years, who is going through his third bout with cancer.
The two women, longtime friends, collaborated on a book called "Breath for the Soul," which offers advice on how people can care for themselves while going through stress, anxiety, depression and grief, alone or in combination.
It explains how to find relief through breathing exercises, movement, nutrition, spirituality and mindfulness.
"Breath for the Soul" was published in November and is available in paperback and in digital format. Almost anyone can benefit from reading it, the authors said.
"There’s nobody that doesn’t have to deal with stress and anxiety," Patterson said in an interview. "Many of us encounter depression during our lives. At one time or another, we’re all going to have to deal with grief. So I feel like this can apply to almost anyone. The more we experience life, the more we are likely to have to deal with these things."
Dr. Jan Patterson, left, a UT Health San Antonio infectious diseases physician, and Phyllis Clark Nichols of Boerne, a seminary-trained spiritual author who is the primary caretaker for her husband going through his third bout of cancer, have written and published a book, "Breath for the Soul," which explains how people can practice self care during times of grief, depression, anxiety or stress. The book aims to give readers some simple, practical techniques they can use at home and that don't cost money.
Billy Calzada/Staff photographerThe 253-page, self-published book was conceived during the pandemic, when many people were isolated at home and struggling with loneliness or depression. Patterson and Nichols worked on it for nearly two years.
"We just said there’s such a need for people to learn how to give care to themselves," Nichols said. "Right now, it’s never been more important.
"Our goal was to give people some simple, effective tools, some things they could do at home that don’t cost money to help deal with their stress or anxiety, depression and grief."
In 2020, Patterson completed a fellowship in integrative medicine — which seeks to treat the entire patient through body, mind, spirit and soul, often with natural, non-invasive therapies — at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine in Arizona. She is now board-certified in the field, as she is in infectious diseases.
"I’m all for conventional medicine. I’m a cancer survivor ... so I’m very grateful for that," Patterson said. “But I’ve just seen through the years that there are many times that we can’t fully reach or fully treat a patient with just a pill or just a procedure, especially when they’re going through some of these difficulties in life.
"I would say that the medical field is becoming more and more open to these things," she said. “For one thing, the younger patients now want these things — they want to be empowered to do things for themselves. So they’re looking for things that they can do and not just take a pill."
"Breath for the Soul" describes a variety of self-care tools, including spirituality, breathing techniques, physical activities to combat stress, anxiety, depression or grief, and healthy foods for people going through these hardships.
"The best news is that none of them require expensive medication, exercise equipment or a visit with your doctor," Patterson and Nichols write in the book. "They are all things you can do at home or even on a work break."
The book includes healthy recipes and lists "calming and sustaining foods," such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seafood and lean meats. "This kind of eating will lead to a calmer mind and a more durable emotional state," the authors write.
"Our mental health is so much a part of our physical health," Patterson said. "The body and the mind are just intertwined. There’s such a connection there that we can tap into. But you have to be aware of it and look for the things that you can do, that you can be empowered to do, to help take care of yourself.”
Patterson discusses her 18-year-old son's suicide in the book, as well as her cancer diagnosis that followed six weeks later. She explains in detail how she coped with an "excruciatingly painful" loss for herself and her husband of 37 years, Dr. Tom Patterson, UT Health San Antonio's chief of infectious diseases.
"It just really made me want to make these (self-care tips) more accessible to people, to let people know about them: ‘Hey, here’s some simple, yet effective things you can do,'" Patterson said recently. "They’re not expensive. They’re things that empower you to help to care for yourself."
The ideas suggested in the book help give people some control over their lives, even if they are coping with a serious illness or other circumstances out of their control, Nichols said.
Her husband, artist and theologian Bill Nichols, 80, has been undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. It is the third time he has battled cancer since 2012.
Spirituality has been an anchor for the couple during their cancer journey.
"I cannot imagine going through these experiences without my faith," Phyllis Clark Nicholas said. "This sense of being connected not only to God, but also to the family of faith, where we get a lot of encouragement and support. There’s a sense that I’m never alone."
She and her husband walk outdoors every day, even when he doesn't feel well. “These hills out here have become my sanctuary," she said of Boerne.
"I find that gratitude — I don’t care how dark it is — there’s always something for which to be grateful," she said. "Always, if you look. The byproduct of gratitude is joy. And I think those kinds of things really reach us in tender places when we’re grieving or when we’re anxious or sad."
Patterson said she tried to emphasize that readers can start by making small changes.
"Start with something simple," Patterson said. "Start with taking a walk. Take a walk three times a week. Or add one vegetable to what you’re eating every day — or one fruit. Just clear your mind for five minutes, either at the beginning or the end of the day ... You don't have to do everything at once."
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