Hope During a Cancer Fight
Battling cancer can be draining both physically and emotionally. There are days when you may feel great or positive and other days when you are scared, angry, or frustrated. And while it is important to allow yourself the time to feel all of your emotions, to vent your anger or to grieve the loss of your life pre-cancer, it is also important to keep up hope. In other words, remember that you don’t always have to be positive, but it certainly feels better to see the glass as half full, rather than half empty. Our mood does affect how we feel, so when we are positive and hopeful, we feel better. It is a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Surround Yourself with Positive Energy
One of the easiest ways to keep a positive attitude is to surround yourself with positive people. These positive people aren’t the ones constantly reminding you to stay positive, rather, they are a shoulder when you need a good cry or help you lighten your load in other ways. These are the people who support you and don’t back away when you want to talk about your fears. They are like sunshine and inspire you to be courageous when you need the push.
Surrounding yourself with positive energy means reading inspirational books, listening to uplifting music or doing other things that you enjoy. When we do something we love, whether it is watching a favorite movie or sitting in the garden, we feed our souls with love and positive energy which fills the well of hope.
Mediation or Mantras
Try using meditation or a positive mantra to help keep you focused and hopeful. These forms of self-affirmation helps us to focus on what is important, calm our minds, relieve stress and visualize positivity.
Minimize or Eliminate Toxic Relationships
On the reverse, it is important to minimize time with or to eliminate toxic relationships. When you do have to deal with these toxic people, have someone who your “spokesperson” with you. Your spokesperson is the one who can say no when you aren’t able to or to ask someone to leave when you can’t.
Don’t Feel Guilty
Because it is important to experience all of our emotions when dealing with any difficult situation, don’t feel guilty about your response to cancer. You may feel pressure to keep up a good attitude all the time, but this is not realistic. So when you need to feel sad or angry, don’t berate yourself for allowing the time to feel those emotions. Feeling guilty over experiencing these normal emotions can drain the hope right out of us.
Use Your Support System
Your positive friends and family are you support system, so reach out to them when you need it. You don’t need to fight this battle alone. Having someone to lighten the load will make you feel more positive and hopeful.
If you feel like you need therapy or counseling to talk through your feelings, know that this doesn’t make you inadequate. Many different people with all types of issues, including battling cancer, seek out counseling to help them understand their emotions better and learn how to see the glass as half full more often.
Have Something to Fight For
Remember what you are fighting for. Perhaps you fight for your loved ones because they are so supportive of you and you can’t bear the thought of leaving them. No matter what you fight for, remember it during the times when you feel depressed or angry.
Enjoy the Little Things and Celebrate Milestones
Take time to savor the small things that make you happy, whether that is talking a walk with your loved one or enjoying some good ice cream with friends. These little happy moments pile up faster than you think and can leave us feeling positive.
Don’t forget to celebrate any milestones in your treatment, even if it is celebrating the fact that you made it through another round of chemo. These silver linings remind you that you are still here, still fighting and still hopeful.
