Battle with Cancer and Mental Health: Resources to Guide Your Struggle
Dealing with a cancer diagnosis isn't just about tackling the physical symptoms - emotional hurdles can come crashing in too. Fear, anxiety, and stress might well be part of the ride, making it tough to cope with your diagnosis and manage ongoing treatment. There's no right way to feel when confronting cancer, and feelings can fluctuate wildly. Your mental well-being is crucial during this time, shaping your quality of life and enhancing treatment outcomes.
Regrettably, mental health often takes a back seat compared to physical needs in cancer care. Although patients are at a higher risk of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, they may find themselves facing an emotional vacuum [1]. Managing mental health is deeply personal. What helps one person might not work for another. Some might find solace in shared support, while others prefer private reflection. Exploring diverse therapeutic options is key to finding what works best for you.
One approach that can help is mindfulness. Studies show that mindfulness can lower pain, anxiety, fatigue, and boost quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment [2]. Essentially, mindfulness encourages a non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and experiences in the present moment. By adopting a meditative practice such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation, the mind and body can achieve a state of relaxation and presence.
Integrative Oncologist and Hematologist Dr. Krisstina Gowin breaks it down: "Mindfulness is a type of mindful awareness. It's a type of meditation, breathing technique, or mind-body practice. You're aware of your breath, body, emotional and mental landscape, and thoughts. Things will come in, thoughts will float in and out. You're just watching them and naming them nonjudgmentally" [3].
Mindfulness encompasses multiple techniques, but here are a few to explore:
- Meditation
- Breathwork
- Guided imagery
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Meditative movement (e.g., Tai Chi or yoga)
- Journaling
Research suggests that drawing attention away from pain and stress can help lessen pain intensity and enhance pain tolerance [4]. Furthermore, mindfulness may work by calming the stress response, which in turn cools inflammation, shrinks stress hormones, and potentially influences the growth and spread of cancer cells [5].
Adjusting to life after cancer treatment brings fresh challenges. Fear of recurrence, body image issues, financial toxicity, and other changes can fuel anxiety and make coping with emotional effects in survivorship even tougher. Support groups, counseling, exercise, and mindfulness can help manage the emotional landscape at this point.
Whether newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, navigating survivorship, or supporting someone else, prioritizing mental well-being alongside physical health is essential. Explore different tools and resources that resonate with you, from support groups and therapy to journaling and digital apps.
Apps like Outcomes4Me can bridge the gap in care by providing resources for both body and mind, integrating with the latest treatment guidelines for your diagnosis. The app features a journaling function, symptom tracker, daily mood tracker, and a supportive community – all valuable resources for recognizing emotional patterns and expressing needs to your care team [6].
Sources:
- Fernando A, et al. (2023). Mental health needs in cancer - a call for change. [online] Future Healthc J. 10(2):112-116. doi:10.7861/fhj.2023-0059
- Caruso R & Breitbart W. (2020). Mental health care in oncology. Contemporary perspective on the psychosocial burden of cancer and evidence-based interventions. [online] Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 29:e86. doi:10.1017/S2045796019000866
- Ngamkham S, et al. (2019). A Systematic Review: Mindfulness Intervention for Cancer-Related Pain. [online] Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 6(2):161-169. doi:10.4103/apjon.apjon_67_18
- Ask the expert: What is integrative oncology? (2025). [online] Outcomes4Me. [Accessed 25 April 2025]. https://outcomes4me.com/webinar/ask-the-expert-what-is-integrative-oncology/
- Practice mindfulness and relaxation. (2025). [online] American Cancer Society. [Accessed 25 April 2025]. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/survivorship/coping/practice-mindfulness-and-relaxation.html
- Managing anxiety and distress in cancer survivors. (2020). National Cancer Institute. [online] [Accessed 25 April 2025]. https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/cancer-survivors-managing-anxiety-distress
Our mental-health focused articles are written by experienced contributors and backed by scientific research and evidence-based practices. Before publication, these articles undergo rigorous review by our team of clinical experts to ensure accuracy and adherence to industry standards. Our aim is to provide up-to-date, invaluable, and unbiased information on mental health to help readers make informed decisions.
- Engaging in online therapy, such as counseling or support groups, can help individuals manage depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues that arise due to their cancer diagnosis, as it offers a safe space to express feelings and receive support.
- Mindfulness, a practice that encourages non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and experiences, can aid cancer patients by lowering pain and anxiety, reducing stress, and potentially impacting favorably on the growth and spread of cancer cells.
- Managing mental health in the context of cancer is deeply personal, and diverse therapeutic options, such as meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, and apps, can be explored to find what works best for an individual's unique emotional landscape.
- Support groups, counseling, exercise, mindfulness, and digital apps may be valuable tools for coping with and managing the emotional effects in the survivorship phase, where challenges like fear of recurrence, body image issues, and financial toxicity can exacerbate anxiety.
