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Get tips to manage feelings like loneliness and anxiety when someone you care about has cancer. Learn how to support them while caring for yourself.
Explore how cancer affects your emotions and get guidance on managing feelings such as stress, fear, and sadness. Macmillan can help you cope.
- Anxiety
- Symptoms
- Panic Attacks
- What Causes Fear, Anxiety and Panic
- Worries About Your Treatment, Pain and Being Cured
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A diagnosis of cancer is difficult to cope with. It is normal to feel anxious, frightened or panicky at times. How you cope with these feelings depends on: 1. the kind of person you are 2. how advanced your cancer is 3. the treatment you have 4. how much support you have around you Fear and panic You might feel frightened and worry about what will ...
At first
If you feel frightened, panicky or anxious, you may have problems with: 1. sleeping 2. a lack of appetite 3. going out and seeing others socially 4. your temper (being short tempered) 5. concentration
After some time
If your anxiety becomes a long term problem, you may constantly feel that something bad is about to happen. You may also: 1. keep asking people close to you about your illness and what they think you should do 2. feel very negative 3. feel very upset 4. feel unable to cope with changes to your routine
Physical symptoms
These can be similar to feeling very nervous about an exam, job interview or giving a speech. There are many different physical symptoms you might have. These include: 1. shortness of breath, an urge to over breathe (to hyperventilate) or a dry cough 2. a thumping heart (palpitations) or sweating 3. a lump in your throat, a dry mouth or difficulty swallowing 4. shaking hands, overall body shakes or a fluttering feeling in your stomach (like butterflies) 5. chest or abdominal pain 6. sickness...
Sometimes fear or anxiety gets so overwhelming that you may have a panic attack. You may have the physical symptoms of anxiety described above, but they may be far more intense. Some people even feel as if they are going to die or go mad. If you have frequent panic attacks, they can seriously affect your quality of life. Seek medical help and let y...
All these symptoms are very real, and you may worry that your cancer is causing them. That is possible with some of the symptoms. But stress and anxiety are also likely causes.
Treatment
You may worry about whether your treatment will work or whether it may be very unpleasant. There is ongoing research into improving cancer treatments. Treatments have improved a lot, and are continuing to improve. There is research about how to reduce treatment side effects and how to control them. This makes treatment today easier to cope with than it used to be. Take a close friend or relative with you when you visit the doctor or nurse. They can help you ask questions about your treatment.
Questions and second opinions
Some people like to have a second opinion. Your doctor will not mind, and might be able to help you arrange this. You might have lots of questions. It is important to ask, even if you think you have asked them more than once. Your doctor won't mind.
Pain
People often worry that they will be in pain if they have cancer. Or that the pain will be more than they can bear. Many people with cancer have no pain. For people who do, many modern drugs and other types of treatment can successfully relieve or control it.
Maudsley Learning, part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, has a set of cancer and mental wellbeing videos for people affected by cancer. The videos have information and advice on what to do if a cancer diagnosis affects your mental health. They cover several topics, including breaking bad news, managing anxiety, common reaction...
Nov 2, 2022 · How cancer can make you feel. After a diagnosis of cancer, you might have a range of feelings including fear, sadness, anxiety and depression. These are normal responses to a stressful life experience. Shock and denial. Shock is often the first reaction when you are told you have cancer.
Jun 5, 2024 · Living with a cancer diagnosis can be mentally and physically overwhelming, and it’s natural to go through an array of emotions during this demanding time. Here’s what may help you cope ...
A cancer diagnosis can affect your mental health at any time, including when your treatment has finished. People react in different ways to a cancer diagnosis and find their own unique ways to cope. Coming to terms with a very stressful life experience is difficult.
Jul 27, 2022 · Studies suggest that addressing the mental health concerns that people with cancer experience may lead to improved treatment outcomes and a better quality of life. This article discusses the five emotional stages of cancer, how to cope, and how to help a loved one.
