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Facing the Anxiety of Cancer
It is no surprise that a diagnosis of cancer brings with it quite a bit of fearfulness and anxiety. You are now facing a great threat to your whole experience of yourself and the world, as well as a threat to your survival. You may experience a new existence of uncertainties and insecurities. In facing the anxiety of cancer, it is important to know that this is a very typical feeling, and that however unpleasant it is, it helps to accept that you are anxious. When we panic about our anxiety, we create more anxiety, and this fearfulness becomes self-perpetuating. Once you accept that you are anxious, and see it only as a state of mind, one of many possible states of mind, you can allow it to manifest itself and be dealt with. One way of gaining control over your anxiety is to gain more control over your life. One of the many facets of a cancer diagnosis is feelings of being out of control and helplessness. I know that you may feel like you are riding a runaway train, going from doctor to doctor trying to get as much information as possible, feeling rushed and confused. It is possible however, to slow down the train enough to feel like you are the train conductor, rather than being dragged along by the process. It won’t hurt your survival to have time to breathe and think. Give yourself time to think, time to take care of yourself, and time to connect with others that you care for. Giving yourself time to breathe, so that you can feel that you are the one running your life (rather than your life running you), allows you to feel more in control and calmer. It helps to have enjoyable, positive experiences daily. Further, although you may be afraid of burdening others, the people who care for you can often feel lost and helpless, not knowing how they can help. They may therefore welcome being a sounding board and a support for you. Additional ways of managing stress and anxiety is through relaxation techniques, visualization, hypnosis and meditation. People manage anxiety in a multiplicity of ways.
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