4 Keys to Helping You Mentally Overcome Cancer

“You have cancer,” might be the worst three word sentences in the English language. After all, this potentially crippling disease is only part of the problem. The greater problem for those who survive their cancer treatments is how they will live their lives during and after treatment.

From telling friends and family to putting your life in context, cancer is a disease that can shake your foundations to the core.

That is why it is so important to take a healthy approach to cancer. The information below will be a good starting point for cancer survivors and those currently going through treatment to have a healthy view of themselves when they go through this traumatic experience.

Face Your Fears- Dr. Abraham Low, founder of Recovery, Inc. stated, “Be self-led, not symptom-led.” Cancer experts have found that patients who approach their diagnosis like athletes at a major competition fare better than patients who give up and stop playing bridge on Tuesday afternoons because they are dying.

For me, this means, “faking it till you make it,” When you believe everything will be okay, then you face your fears. Then one day, because of this belief in yourself everything will be okay.

Stay Positive- Deepak Chopra recently stated, “Positive thinking is real medicine.” The truth is that our body is not just a physical form. We have a spiritual and emotional side to our spirit. Our beliefs about ourselves not only affect our confidence, but also our mental and physical health. The classic example of this is the placebo effect.

One famous early case study, Brono Klopfer in the Journal of Prospective Techniques talks about a patient named Wright. The patient had tumors throughout his body. When a new drug Krebiozen was released, he asked the doctor for the treatment. Despite being in the last stages of cancer, he received the drug.

Two months later, he completely recovered, and could even fly his own plane unassisted at 12,000 feet. However, reports of the drug came out stating the drug was not effective. Shortly thereafter, his symptoms quickly relapsed.

To help his patient recover, the doctor tricked Wright into believing that the drug was successful, but the first version of the drug failed. He gave Wright a placebo with water that completely cured Wright for two months, until he discovered the ruse. Two days later he died.

While this is an extreme example of the idea of thinking positive, positive thinking does play a role in the recuperation process. This goes back to what we discussed in facing your fears.

Those with a positive attitude are more likely to follow the doctors’ recommendations and live a healthy lifestyle. Those with a pessimistic attitude are more likely to do the reverse.

Surround Yourself with Love-What is one of the best ways to stay positive then? Surround yourself with those you love. In recent mice studies, research proves that mice with human tumors who were increasingly isolated had increased levels of stress. This stress allowed their tumors to metasize (grow and spread).

For humans, we need to make sure that we do not have that feeling of hopelessness. When people feel alone and hopeless that is when they stop taking the medicines required of them, engage in risky behavior, and stop communicating with close loved ones.

Therefore, use cancer as an opportunity to stay close to those around you. Keep talking to them, and even seek out therapy in case of continual stress and isolation.

Do What Makes Your Happy- As you may have noticed throughout this conversation, getting better psychologically from cancer has a lot to do with how you live your life. Nowhere can this be more beneficial or detrimental than with how you earn a living.

Therefore, one of the best ways to improve your mental state after facing cancer is to do what you love. It is no longer time to work for works sake only. Start spending more time focusing on what you love, because doing that will give you a sense of accomplishment that can produce much-needed endorphins for your body.

Overcoming Cancer Mentally

While following the steps above is not a guaranteed way to overcome cancer, it definitely plays a large role in your recovery. If you do not have the faith or the vision to live a better life tomorrow, then how will you face each challenge that cancer has with belief in yourself.

Cancer affects your mind as well as your body. Therefore, do everything you need to minimize its effects on you. If you have further questions, feel free to call 847-824-8366.