AFTER CANCER: FEELINGS. POSTTREATMENT ANXIETY. DIMINISHING ANXIETY

Posted in Cancer on March 12th, 2009

If I Am Experiencing Posttreatment Anxiety, How Long Will It Last?

Anxiety will come and go, especially around special times such as checkups and anniversaries. Recognize that anxiety is a common companion during the transition to your new normal life. The intensity and duration of your anxiety will depend on your normal tendency toward anxiety, your personal circumstances, and your reaction to your anxiety. In general, it helps when things are going well medically. The more confidence you have in your recovery and the more quickly you can return to normal activities, the less you will suffer from anxiety.

If I Am Anxious, How Can I Diminish Mу Anxiety?

Anxiety will not help you in any way. It wastes emotional and physical energy. Ask your doctor whether any of your medications could be causing or worsening your symptoms of anxiety. Sometimes you can alleviate anxiety by adjusting the dose or choice of your medications. You may benefit from short-term use of anxiety relievers, such as minor tranquilizers, while you pursue the other methods of anxiety reduction that take longer to be effective. It helps to avoid any stimulants, such as caffeine, or decongestants. Although your morning cup of coffee may not be causing your anxiety, it may be making the symptoms worse.

Try to determine what factors are causing anxiety. Many times it takes talking with friends, support groups, and counselors to identify what is making you anxious.

In the case of anxiety-provoking factors over which you have some control, such as worry about doing the right things to prevent recurrence or about your spouse’s being impatient with the slowness of your recuperation, you can help by getting information. Knowledge will enable you to get rid of the source of your anxiety. You will relax when you know that you are doing the right things to prevent recurrence and when you are reassured that a spouse’s impatience is a natural part of readjustment after cancer treatment.

In the case of anxiety-provoking factors over which you have no control, such as concern about whether you will be alive to see your grandchildren or worry about whether your car will last three more years, you can help by

•accepting that you can affect your future but that, ultimately, your future is out of your control

• training yourself not to worry about things that may not happen

• exposing concerns that are unrealistic, so that they are no longer concerns

• training yourself to not spend time worrying about things that may happen in the future but are not happening now (distract yourself from realistic worries, or repress realistic worries in a healthy way)

• being hopeful that future problems can be treated when they arise

• recognizing that anxiety is only hurting you

• praying to God, if you are a believer or want to become a believer, to attend to these things

• learning self-relaxation techniques so that you can have some control over your anxiety reactions

• getting adequate sleep (sleep deprivation can make you feel anxious, lose perspective, and think irrational thoughts)

• getting exercise, when possible

• joining a support group to share your anxieties and hear practical advice about relieving your anxieties from people who have experienced them

• talking with a survivor who is farther along the road to recovery and who is doing well

• seeking the advice and assistance of a professional counselor

Persistent anxiety drains your emotional and physical resources. Learning how to diminish and tame your anxiety will enhance your comfort and speed your recovery.

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