Tips for Staying Calm After a Breast-Cancer Diagnosis
Posted on: 6 October 2016
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If you have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, it might seem like your world is ending. You might worry about dying, about how your partner is going to deal with the news, about how your children are going to deal with the news, and about how you are going to afford treatment. All of these worries can be very overwhelming and can make it incredibly difficult for you to cope in the moment. This can make your life more difficult. You want to try to remain calm throughout the treatment so that you can make the best decisions possible. Here are some tips for staying calm after a breast-cancer diagnosis.
1. Practice Mindfulness
The first thing that you need to do is practice mindfulness. Focus on what you are doing in the moment to the exclusion of all other thoughts. This will make it easier for you to block out unwanted, worrying thoughts that are useless to you right now and help keep your composure. If these thoughts are too intrusive, consider putting on music or a podcast in order and focusing on the melody, rhythm, or words. This will help you force any panicky thoughts out of your head and allow you to focus on living your life right now.
This is also a great way to deal with future treatment, especially if you plan on undergoing chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can be super stressful but can also give you a lot of time to deal with worry. Practicing mindfulness will make it easier to tolerate the treatment.
2. Try Yin Yoga
The next thing that you might want to search out are yoga classes for patients with cancer or yin yoga practices online. Yin yoga is a form of restorative yoga that has you hold opening, strengthening poses for long stretches of time. This will help connect you with your body in a way that is affirming and empowering. You might have felt as though you lost all control and therefore all connection to your body when you received your diagnosis. Yin yoga can help you get that connection back, which can help you feel more calm.
3. Don't Search Too Much
Don't go online and look up the survival stats for your diagnosis. Don't look up horror stories or symptoms. You are not a doctor, and looking up your cancer on the Internet is going to scare you, rather than make you feel better. If you really want to be more informed, ask your doctor for specific book or website recommendations that you can go to directly so you don't just click around.
For more information, talk to a company that specializes in mammography and breast-cancer diagnoses so you can read more about your condition.