Breast cancer can be a mental challenge as well as a physical one
A person coping with breast cancer may feel a lot of conflicting emotions.
When someone is told she has cancer, she may wonder: Is it my fault? Am I being
punished? Or can I control my body with my mind and, by thinking positively, beat
cancer? Maybe I just need to relax… But how?
These questions and many others are all a normal part of facing a disease as serious
as cancer. And reducing the stress that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis may help make life with the disease more manageable.
Stay positive, when you can.
One way to reduce stress is to think positively and keep an optimistic outlook.
Yet many people with breast cancer won’t feel particularly positive all of the time.
This is normal. Sadness, fear, and other negative emotions are all part of the experience
of cancer, and ignoring them or denying them may do more harm than good—making those
emotions more powerful in the end.
Instead, admitting to negative feelings and looking for emotional support from loved
ones can help. Talking to cancer survivors and healthcare professionals who deal
with cancer regularly can also give new perspectives to what may at first seem like
a hopeless diagnosis.
Knowing your limits.
Just as it’s important to stay positive as much as possible, and to keep facing
cancer with hope and the support of those who love you, it’s important to keep in
mind that positive thought alone cannot cure breast cancer.
Trying your hardest is great. But people who believe that the power of the mind
can halt the advance of cancer may be disappointed and blame themselves if their
condition gets worse. It’s good to stay positive but realistic, and to forgive yourself.
As far as research shows, good emotions can’t cure cancer. But then, bad emotions
do not cause breast cancer to grow.
12 quick ideas toward emotional well-being.
If you find yourself scared or overwhelmed as you face breast cancer, consider some
of the following simple thoughts on how to keep looking forward with hope:
- Let go: Once every day, tell yourself, "Who cares?” If your house is a mess, if
you feel down, if you forget something important—let it go. No one can do everything,
so forgive yourself.
- Talk it out: Talk to someone you trust. Say everything. Hold back nothing. Be honest,
and let each emotion pass through you.
- Cry: Whether you’re alone or having a heart-to-heart with a close friend or loved
one, let it out. If you feel like you may start to cry—just cry. You may very well
feel better afterward.
- Hug it out: The power of touching another person can sometimes achieve what words
can’t.
- Try to have faith: If you were raised in a religion, consider whether or not it
would offer you comfort and insight into the meaning of life’s challenges today.
If you have always been curious, perhaps start attending prayer sessions, or speak
with a priest, rabbi, imam, or other person of faith.
- Be patient: You don’t have to dwell on your diagnosis or what surgery, chemo, or
other treatments will
or won’t accomplish.
- Take naps: Besides replenishing your body, sleep gives your mind a chance to unwind.
When you wake up, you may feel differently than you did when you laid down.
- Ask for help: Especially if you have children or a partner around the house. Don’t
feel like you have to do everything you normally do, and don’t worry about being
a burden. You have enough to worry about already.
- Treat yourself: Do something just for yourself, something that will take your mind
off your condition.
- Join a support group: The Reach to Recovery program, for example, provides one-on-one
support.
- Don’t blame yourself: For all the research, cancer is still mysterious. You are
not your cancer. You are not your breasts. Don’t look for answers to questions like
"why me?”
- Get the right wig, if you need one: The American Cancer Society, Look Good… Feel
Better, and other groups offer advice and online shopping opportunities. And in
addition to wigs, there are also breast forms and other products for women undergoing
treatment.
No matter what, remember that you can reach out to others.
With 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive today, there are plenty
of people who share your questions, anxieties, and hopes. Don’t forget
that, no matter where you are headed in terms of treatment, you are not alone.
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