The #1 Concern for Many Patients is…
The #1 Concern for Many Cancer Patients is…
Riding the emotional roller coaster of cancer is scary. Fear, anger, overwhelm, anxiety, and even depression hit you with tremendous force. If you’re like most of my clients, you found yourself unprepared, at least not mentally or emotionally.
Many patients lean on their loved ones to find some comfort, certainty, and support during this time. In a perfect world, this is ideal. After all, those you love, for the most part, love you back. And yet, the main concern patients struggle with is fearing they are a burden to their loved ones.
The fear of being “too much” (and being rejected because of it) cause us to think we’ll have to deal with all the pain on our own. This thought is, well… terrifying.
What’s certain is that if you fear making your needs known because you’re concerned about retaliation or how others will perceive you, you will keep on suffering. As long as you’re reluctant to put your needs first for a change, you will continue the torment. The simplest solution is to seek support because going at it alone is unessarily difficult.
It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
The truth is that even if your loved ones want the best for you, they may not know how to support you. Even more so, the intimate dynamics you’ve shared with them until now; they’re still attached to your experience of illness.
At a time when you need safety and boundaries to heal and recover, these dynamics may be counterproductive because they induce more stress than comfort.
If this is your experience and you want to do something about it, your first step is to accept that you need a roadmap and an action plan to break free from helplessness and paralysis. Helplessness and paralysis cripple your immune system. You need support so you can step into an empowered and active mode and a mindset that will propel your ability to recover.
