Counting breaths is a classic meditation technique. I meditate at least once a day, preferably twice. If nothing else, it helps with the nausea and acid reflux during chemotherapy. However, there is so much that needs to be done during chemo to manage the side effects, it can be hard to always find the time.
One of the things both conventional and alternative medicine emphasizes is to exercise during chemo. Don\’t do stupid things, but you may have to push yourself against the fatigue.
It occurred to me recently, that instead of counting breaths as a mindfulness exercise, I could count reps (repetitions). I count them anyway, so just paying a little more deliberate attention to counting and use the usual practices when my attention wanders, pulling the attention back to the counting and the exercises themselves instead of getting lost in stories and chatter.