AFTER CANCER: WHAT IF I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT MY CANCER?
Posted on Mar 12, 2009 under Cancer | No CommentYou may be wondering when you will go a week, a day, or even an hour without being reminded of your cancer experience. The
more physical and/or social reminders you have of that experience, the harder it is to forget.
Physical pain and cancer treatment-related limitations are constant reminders until you reduce them to manageable levels and integrate them into your new life. Try to find some activities that capture your attention completely, no matter how briefly.
Cancer-related thoughts are triggered by insecurity about your renewed good health. You are ever vigilant for signs of a recurrence. It takes time to learn to trust your body again and enjoy your health.
You may have many unresolved feelings, such as anger, grief, disappointment, and depression, that are related to your cancer. Since these feelings will persist until the issues are resolved in one form or another, they remind you of your cancer. Attention to the feelings will liberate you from cancer-related thoughts.
A brush with mortality can make everything around you look and feel different. Since everything seems different, you are constantly reminded of why it seems so. Even when the changes and differences are good or pleasant, you are reminded of your cancer. With time you will get used to your new normal, and your surroundings will no longer remind you of your cancer.
It is fine to be reminded of your cancer if this elicits good feelings of gratitude and appreciation. If remembrance brings up unpleasant feelings such as anxiety, fear, and anger, you must work to resolve unsettled conflicts. You must also learn to look forward, not back.
It takes time to put a big event or experience out of your mind. Having some time and experiences unrelated to your cancer will help you stop thinking about your cancer.
Try to find good things that have come out of your cancer experience so that when you are reminded of your cancer, the feeling will not be all bad.
*146/32/5*
