The diagnosis of cancer can be a shock to your system, no one wants to hear that the big C is now a part of their world and future life.
Moreover, the symptoms or side effects of cancer and its treatment can affect your quality of life.
Cancer: Such an illness brings profound changes; its also a time for deep thoughtful contemplation. After you've gone through the ordeal of 'Why Me' and 'How could this happen to me'? there comes a time for deep reflections.
You might like to stand back and reflect on your life or lifestyle and to decide on likely changes.
Health Changes: The psychological stages of loss and grief will no doubt take root.
- Feelings of depression may come upon you as you learn about the exact nature of your diagnosis.
- The physical symptoms of depression may include changes in your sleep patterns either insomnia or excessive sleeping or changes in energy levels.
- The experience of fatigue, loss of energy and lethargy is par for the course with depression.
- It's important to take action to buoy up, strengthen and support your emotional health, to reshuffle and adjust.
Emotions Do Matter: Taking good care of yourself will help you to deal with the emotional side of your diagnosis.
- You should make every effort to encourage yourself each day
- Give gratitude and applaud 'You' for your fortitude, chutzpah and mettle in coping with your illness thus far.
- It is important to not give in, or give up, to choose to be a survivor.
- Strengthen or hold firm to your well-honed coping skills.
Coping: Knowing that there are care and support goes a long way to strengthening your coping skills.
- If you should feel hopeless or sad you may choose to draw on your spiritual core.
- Prayer and meditation can be effective therapies that help you cope; it can strengthen your ability to hope or to help you feel positive about of the future.
- You may want to devote time to looking attentively at your religious beliefs or whats most important in your life.
- Live life fully with all the gusto you can muster and as best as is possible.
- Stay connected and communicate with friends and family, reach out, they can be a tremendous source of support, help and comfort.
- Then there is palliative care a supportive service which may be needed depending on the trajectory and prognosis of your illness. Such a service ensures you or your family do not have to deal with your illness alone.
- Palliative care provides personalized services and offers comfort from a range of specialized supportive measures.