Taking the Leap – Overcoming Anxiety to Help Overcome Cancer

As a cancer survivor now in remission - I was diagnosed and treated for a malignant schawanoma in 1995 while active duty in the US Navy – I still suffer frequently from anxiety.  I found this article by Ryan Rivera insightful so wanted to share it.

Even if you’re not a cancer survivor, there are some valuable tips for overcoming anxiety.  Enjoy!

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Taking the Leap – Overcoming Anxiety to Help Overcome Cancer

by Ryan Rivera, calmclinic.com

Your physical health plays a huge role in your ability to fight cancer. You need to take care of your body, getting it in the best of health and best of shape to stop your cancer in its tracks and prevent it from controlling your life. Staying active and working on your physical health is a crucial part of battling back.

But you also need to work on your mental health. So much of cancer survival is a mental game. If you give up and let the cancer overcome you, then the disease is going to win. You need to have the mental energy and willingness to battle back – not just to try to overcome cancer, but also to simply enjoy your life and not let your time go wasted.

You Need to Stop Anxiety

One of the biggest mental health issues standing in your way is anxiety. Anxiety is extremely common with cancer patients – with as many as 44% or more suffering from anxiety disorders at any given time. Anxiety, of course, is natural. You hear frightening news and it affects the way you feel on any given day. But anxiety is also the enemy of the cancer patient. Anxiety:

• Creates sadness and fear that makes it difficult to enjoy your life.
• Causes you to lose energy so that you can’t stay active.
• Induces stress which weakens your immune system.

Your mental health drastically affects your physical health, and if you allow this anxiety to overcome you, it becomes very difficult for your body to fight back. You need to be positive, upbeat, and as mentally and physically active as you can be on any given day. The only way to do that is to stop your anxiety.

Anxiety Reduction Tips

If you have the means, the first thing you should do is see a therapist. Therapy is extremely effective at managing anxiety, and can teach you productive techniques that will help you stay active. You should also make sure that you connect with your friends and family. Research into social support has proven that having those you care about by your side will go a long way towards reducing your anxiety.

You should also look for coping strategies that help you challenge your anxiety. If you’re feeling physically capable, you can consider any one of the following:

• Sports/Fitness – Staying active is good for your health, and can give you a fun activity that will help you reduce your anxiety. Sports give you goals and achievements you need to reach, and doing so will keep you looking towards the future instead of focusing too strongly on the present.
• Art/Writing – When you’re not feeling quite as active, or you need a few days of bed rest, you still need to keep yourself going. Often the best way to do that is to create. Whether you like art, writing, or poetry, the ability to create will keep you focused on a productive activity that is great for coping with the stresses of the day.
• Humor – You should also engage in activities that provide you with good humor. Watching standup comedy specials, reading funny books, listening to comedians on tape – laughter is a great cure for anxiety, and an effective method of keeping your mind on something healthy and productive.

Anything that is completely healthy, engaging and enjoyable is an effective coping strategy as well, so you should never limit yourself to what’s available. The key is to make sure that you find a method of relaxation that can help you cope with anxiety regularly.

However, more important than even finding healthy coping strategies is avoiding unhealthy coping strategies. Research has shown that when cancer patients suffer from anxiety, they often engage in negative coping strategies that only fuel their anxiety further, such as substance abuse, “behavioral disengagement” (avoiding things that used to cause enjoyment or happiness), and denial are all extremely common “coping strategies” of those with cancer, and none of them are an effective long term solutions for your anxiety or anxiety attacks.

Similarly, otherwise harmless events may fuel anxiety, for example:

• Watching a horror movie
• Listening to music with negative lyrics
• Performing a risky sport without regard for your safety

While these may have a cathartic effect, they also give your body more stress, and that stress will turn back into anxiety when the catharsis wears off. Not only do you need to discover effective coping strategies, but you need to try to ensure that every activity you do is enjoyable and uplifting.

Finding a Cure For Your Anxiety

Addressing your anxiety is a method of addressing your cancer. Unless you are able to productively treat your anxiety symptoms and avoid the negative behaviors associated with an increase in anxiety, you are going to struggle to cut down on your anxiousness and find that the stress you experience starts to control who you are. Deal with your anxiety, and you will be able to stay active and give yourself the best opportunity to fight the disease.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera was a persistent anxiety sufferer, and shares coping strategies and other anxiety information at calmclinic.com.

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Live life richly and without regret!

David

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David B. Glover, MS, CSCS
Endurance Guru, ENDURANCEWORKS, LLC
Director, the ELITE Project
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine: Fitting Iron Distance Training into Everyday Life

© 2011 David B. Glover