The Emotions Surrounding Cancer
Why is knowing about the emotions of cancer important to people affected by cancer?
Living with cancer is an experience that can affect every aspect of your life. Not only is your body affected, but also your mind and your spirit. You may experience many emotional reactions to all of these changes. When cancer treatment ends, the emotional effects may continue or new emotions may surface.
What do I need to know about emotions of cancer?
There is no “standard” emotional response to cancer survivorship. Each survivor is different, as is each experience. Most likely you will experience a mix of emotional reactions, some of which may even be positive. For example, you might feel satisfaction in deepening personal relationships or confidence in finding strengths within you.
On the other hand, some of your emotional reactions might be uncomfortable or confusing, and at times you may feel overwhelmed by conflicting feelings. If this is how you feel during your journey through cancer, you are not alone. Many cancer survivors say that managing their feelings can be just as difficult as dealing with their medical issues.
Changes in emotions or mood are common throughout the cancer experience. For example, at diagnosis, you may have felt afraid, sad and worried. Perhaps you felt more confident after you decided on a treatment plan. During treatment, you might have had many changes in your mood. Many cancer survivors describe the treatment time as an emotional roller coaster—some days are “up” while other days are “down.”
After treatment ends, many survivors are surprised to find that they continue to have changes in their emotions or mood. For some, completing active treatment brings a time of great emotional distress. Many survivors describe the time after treatment as one of the most emotional—and unusual—periods of their lives. You may have similar reactions as you adjust to life after cancer treatment. Understanding what some of these emotions are can help you manage them and feel confident about survivorship.
What steps should I take to address emotions of cancer?
Paying attention to your feelings, especially uncomfortable feelings, can be hard when you and others may have wanted and expected to just get on with life. Yet paying attention to your emotional reactions after treatment has ended is important for many reasons.
Expressing emotions instead of keeping them inside lowers stress and promotes mental and physical health. Ongoing stress can affect your hormones and your immune system, and this may slow down the healing process. There is evidence that social support as well as professional mental health support can improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.
Paying attention to your feelings can also help you:
• Make room for more positive feelings to come out—such as courage, self-confidence, hope and gratitude
• Live more fully—in mind, body and spirit
• Communicate better with family, friends and health care team members
• Maintain good relationships with family and friends
• Develop strengths that can help you manage other stress in your life
• Gain awareness and understanding of your experiences
Where can I find out more about emotions of cancer?
For more information about emotions of cancer, including suggestions for taking action and a list of resources, visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
February 18, 2009 at 9:57 am
From someone who has family memebers with cancer, I appreciate this blog. Very nice read.
February 18, 2009 at 10:01 am
Both my mother and father have had Cancer. I have a 90% chance of developing it. My Aunt who is currently living with my mother just found out she had bone cancer and probably wont live another 6 months.
Emotions are hard to control especially when they seem to be the happiest person in the world.