The Ever-Present Fear of Recurrence
When I poll the women I serve, fear of recurrence is always the number one thing that they're worried about. For a woman who has experienced breast cancer, she is a cancer patient forevermore.
The fear of recurrence is heightened when approaching an imaging scan, whether it's routine or not. Thoughts of the cancer returning can be debilitating. The folks at Healthline have put together a short list of tips when dealing with "scanxiety."
- Breathe - Learning how to use breathing to calm yourself comes in handy when facing a scan or any time you feel anxious.
- Try meditation - Using meditation, mindfulness practice and/or prayer helps you stay in the present, rather than letting your emotions run away by thinking through the "what ifs."
- Find a soft place to land in the breast cancer community - We are fortunate that women love community. There are myriad breast cancer support groups available, both in person and online. Our Hope After Breast Cancer community is a loving, supportive group of women who can relate to all of your concerns. Come join us by clicking here.
- Consult with the pros - During our breast cancer journey, we're surrounded by doctors and medical professionals. They focus on your physical battle and should have solid information to share when it comes to fear of recurrence. I wanted to ensure that my emotional health was also tended to throughout my journey, so I intermittently saw my licensed professional counselor to talk through any concerns I had. That relationship has been a life-saver!
- Take a hike - Taking care of yourself by getting into nature is a great antidote for scanxiety. Any type of physical activity will release positivity into your mind and body, so get moving!
To read the full article from Healthline, click here.
Shared with love by Jan James, Hope After Breast Cancer
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