Guest post by Mike Linn. Opinions are those of the author.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Doug Blayney on December 10, 2024.
Introduction
I’ll freely admit this as someone who didn’t get anxious much before my advanced melanoma diagnosis at the age of 30: ignorance is bliss. But bliss sometimes gets interrupted by mutating cells.
Now that I’m seven years into navigating the world of anxiety - specifically, cancer-induced anxiety, I’ve gotten good at identifying this unwanted emotional response and coping with it in a variety of ways.
I can’t guarantee these ideas will bring you success, but if you’re like me, you’ll try anything to stop grinding your teeth and shaking your head. Let’s get healthier together.
Want to connect with support to help you through the cancer experience? Click here to learn more about Your Cancer GPS™, our step-by-step guide to help you navigate the cancer experience and find the support your need from diagnosis to living with “the new normal” after treatment. Learn more here.
What is Anxiety?
This might seem reductive for most people, but I legitimately didn’t understand how anxiety worked less than a decade ago.
Anxiety is a normal response to stress or danger, characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease. It’s a psychological state ranging from mild discomfort to intense fear. In the context of cancer, anxiety can bubble up from concerns about treatment, prognosis, or other life issues that are now impacted by your situation.
In my experience, anxiety is highly correlated to worrying about conditions that don’t exist yet or things that I don’t truly control. But regardless of, when how, or why anxiety visits me, my goal is to deal with it logically.
How a Cancer Diagnosis Can Cause Anxiety
There are a wide range of cancer diagnoses and even more complex human emotional responses to each situation. It’s not just our fear of the disease itself and having to grapple with death and mortality - but also the enormous in-between.
Cancer and its treatment can significantly affect our:
- Physical vitality
- Mental health
- Financial stability
- Romantic relationships
- Family dynamics
- Quality of life
This list isn’t to scare you - it’s just the reality of what cancer can yield, and it makes it all the more important we share our anxieties, fears, and how to deal with them.
Ways to Deal With Cancer Anxiety
For most of my life, I could pick up a basketball to shoot around and my brain would calm down. This method still works for some things - but cancer anxiety is complex, unrelenting, and often requires more attention than simple distraction.
Here are some methods you can employ to reduce cancer anxiety:
- Exercise: Whatever form of physical activity makes you feel best will suffice. Exercise releases endorphins, and is proven to help cancer outcomes. Whenever I work out, I feel better about my situation.
-
Therapy: Traditional therapy isn’t for everyone, but seeing a counselor or going to group therapy is very effective for many people. At a minimum, I believe most cancer patients should try therapy.
- Meditation or Mindfulness: It can be challenging to stay present during a cancer diagnosis. Practices like meditation or mindfulness (things like deep breathing or visualization) can allow you to focus your energy on the moment you’re in and future moments that you’ll encounter.
- Support Groups: The internet is a wonderful place to talk with like-minded cancer patients who have similar experiences. If there are local support groups for your type of cancer or people who have gone through cancer-related trauma, these are also wonderful safe spaces.
- Journaling: Sometimes it helps to see your inner monologue on paper. I often write my anxious thoughts down and revisit them a month later to see if they had any rational basis. They usually don’t.
These are just some of the ways you can address your anxiety related to cancer. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and I advise trying a number of things to see what sticks.
How to Help Your Family or Loved Ones With Cancer Anxiety
Cancer mental health issues don’t just affect us as patients - in fact, I often make the argument that we need to support partners, caregivers, children, and parents just as much as the patients on the mental and emotional side of things.
While it can feel isolating and scary to go through cancer, we can lessen the burden for everyone by doing some of the following things:
- Communicate Openly: The instinct to internalize anxiety or cancer fears is understandable - but your friends, family, and support network might benefit more from an open dialogue.
-
Encourage Professional Help: Therapy isn’t just for the patient. Partners, children, and family members might benefit from expressing their feelings to a mental health professional.
- Celebrate and Mourn Together: Cancer is a weird roller coaster of emotions. Sharing our emotions - both positive and negative - can help bring us closer during this ridiculously stressful time.
Ultimately, anxiety is going to play a role in our cancer experience no matter how much preparation or attention we give it. The only thing we can do is not let it consume us and treat it appropriately - with respect and disdain all at the same time. This process is difficult alone, so try to find your tribe of people who can help you get through it in one piece. I promise it’s worth it.
Join a community of people who “get it”
The Manta Cares team is composed of cancer survivors, caregivers, oncologists and nurses - so we truly understand the challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis because we’ve been there. We are here to walk with you as you go through your own cancer experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. We have even developed Your Cancer GPS™, a platform with disease-specific step-by-step maps to show you all the paths you might face during your cancer experience, future treatment options and connect you with relevant support and resources. Sign up for access to the Your Cancer GPS™ platform here.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and check out our free resources like our Chemotherapy Checklist for Caregivers, Financial Checklist for Cancer Treatment and more. We also put out a bi-weekly podcast called the Patient from Hell to educate, empower and hopefully inspire you as you go through this crappy experience. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Dealing with cancer as a patient or caregiver can feel really lonely. Just know that you are not alone in this experience.
About the author: Mike Linn is a writer, athlete, business owner, and now a cancer patient advocate. He was first diagnosed with stage 3c metastatic melanoma at the age of 30 and had a stage 4 recurrence in 2023 at 35. In a better effort to understand the mental health side of being a cancer patient, he began posting content to social media and support groups and has yet to stop talking about his cancer experience both personally and professionally. Mike also loves candy and is determined to dispel the notion that sugar specifically feeds cancer - or he is at least hopeful that research will prove this.
Disclaimer: All content and information provided in connection with Manta Cares is solely intended for informational and educational purposes only. This content and information is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.