Coping with cancer: healing and mental health

This article is part of the Complete Guide to Cancer Care.

Worried, anxious, sad, afraid … it’s normal to experience all kinds of feelings during your cancer journey. From diagnosis and treatment to remission and survival, every step of the battle can feel like you’re on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Cancer doesn’t just attack your body. Going through a stressful cancer journey can also affect your mind.

Coping with a diagnosis is never easy. That’s why taking care of your emotional and mental health is an essential ingredient in the healing process. In fact, in some cases, how well you handle stress from having cancer can even shape your outcome.

A grandma copes with her cancer treatment with support from her grandchild

Keep reading for tips on what you can do to help make healing from cancer less stressful.

Cancer and mental health

Even if you have supportive friends, family, and caregivers, battling cancer can make you feel lonely and bring up lots of emotions. but there are some steps you can take to help manage your stress. The top recommendations from professionals include:

Start talking and get the facts
Keep up healthy habits
Say “yes” when you get offers for help
Network with others who know what you’re going through

Learn about your cancer

The more you know about your cancer diagnosis, the easier it will be to make sure your concerns are addressed as you make decisions about your treatment options.

Worried that feelings of anxiety are keeping you from fully comprehending important information when you meet with your oncologist? Take someone you trust with you to your appointments to act as your advocate. And, whether you go with a loved one or alone, don’t be afraid to ask anyone on your care team follow-up questions if you don’t understand something. That’s why we’re here.

Embrace healthy lifestyle habits

Making sure to eat the right foods, sleep enough, and get in some exercise, if you are up for it, are ways to not only boost your overall health and wellbeing during cancer treatment, but these healthy lifestyle habits can also help you manage fatigue and stress from the treatment process.

Be open to getting support when you need it

For some patients, asking for help or accepting offers from friends and family help you can be hard, especially if you’re used to taking care of everyone else or being self-sufficient.

Whether it’s lending a hand with chores or preparing meals, remember that those who care about you may look for ways to make your life more comfortable and less stressful during this time. As much as you are comfortable, let them help you so you can focus on yourself and your body’s healing.

Talk to other cancer patients and survivors

Though you might want to keep things as normal as possible, living life with cancer is anything but normal. No one gets that more than someone who has been in your shoes. When you talk to other people with cancer, you can gain insights on what to expect ahead and get support so you feel less alone.

Cope with cancer—with help from Logansport Memorial Hospital

We believe every patient deserves to get world-class cancer care, no matter where they live or what type of cancer they’re fighting.

Here at the Logansport Memorial Cancer Care Center, our experienced oncology team provides state-of-the-art treatments and cutting-edge cancer-fighting technologies for people across north central Indiana.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CANCER CARE CENTER

We turn fighters into survivors. You can get all the care you need in one modern-yet-comfortable location that’s also close-to-home. If you have questions about our cancer treatment services, let us know. We’re here to help you at every stage of your journey.

When you’re ready, give us a call at (574) 753-9000.