Being diagnosed with cancer can be a frightening and anxious time. It's normal to experience feelings of sadness, anger or loneliness. When we are struggling with our mental well-being sometimes people notice that they feel anxious or nervous although often feel that they are not worrying about anything in particular. Sometimes having a low mood can leave us feeling like we have no energy and people sometimes worry that the cancer itself or the treatment is causing this tiredness. Recognising that some of the symptoms that you have or how you are feeling may be a sign that your mental health is not good is the first step to improving this.
The following things can help to improve your mental health most often using a few of these techniques together is the best way forward.
- Talking to people about how you are feeling. Talking to friends or family can help. You may prefer talking to someone else, such as other people who have cancer at a support group, your Cancer Nurse Specialist or GP or call into one of our macmillan information centres. You may want to talk to members of a church or other religious leaders.
- Plan things in your day. Sometimes socialising with friends or doing activities that you enjoy can be a great way to take your mind off the situation that you are in. Having a plan in your diary encourages you to actually get out of the house and take time for yourself.
- Looking after yourself. Taking regular exercise, particularly outdoors and eating and drinking well can help you feel better mentally
- Mindfulness. Taking time for yourself can be really helpful, there are many websites and apps that promote mindfulness exercises but other people find other ways to relax such as taking a relaxing bath or sitting in the garden.
- Yoga / Meditation / Complimentary therapies. Exercise classes such as Yoga can be very helpful for your mood, other people like to meditate. Some complimentary therapies such as reiki can be very relaxing, you can talk to the Macmillan Information centre about complimentary therapies.
- Counselling. Counselling and other psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy can be helpful to re-focus your mind and develop ways to help you cope with what you are facing.
- Medication. Some patients benefit from medication for anxiety or depression, if you feel that this may be needed please talk to your GP or cancer specialist nurse.
Holistic needs assessment
At regular steps in your care your specialist nurse or someone from the cancer team will ask to take a holistic needs assessment with you.
This short assessment will ask you what you are concerned about and then the nurse will work through a plan about how to help with some of these concerns. If you feel that you are worrying about things or that your mental health is not good please ask your cancer team if they can do a Holistic needs assessment with you. Help and support is available to you.
If you are concerned about your mental health please talk to your Cancer Nurse Specialist or GP.
Useful information
Mind is a mental health charity that supports over 370,000 people across England and Wales. Their services include talking therapies, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment and training schemes, counselling and befriending.
The NHS website has lots of resources to help people who are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. It includes sections on mental wellbeing, managing stress and anxiety, mental health at work, improving low mood, information about therapy and counselling and a mood self-assessment.
Every Mind Matters Your Personalised Plan
Mental Health & Emotional Support for Children, Young People and Families in County Durham
Head and Neck Cancer Psychology Service Sunderland Royal Hospital
Videos
Sometimes when you are living with cancer or recovering following treatment you can worry about cancer recurrence or your cancer growing with every pain that you have or any new change in your body. These videos explain how it is normal to have these worries but please talk to your cancer team if you have concerns.
