About 70% of people who have had cancer treatment worry about the cancer coming back, and it can really get in the way of living your life. While emotional upheaval during and after cancer treatment is normal, finding you are continuing to worry about your health can really prolong and elevate your distress, as well as effect your confidence in making plans – whether it’s overseas travel, booking a short trip away, or just buying a new winter coat!.
Nearly half of people who have had cancer treatment report health worries even when their risk of further disease is low, and some people may find fears can be really intrusive and not settle with time. Fears can be particularly high around check-ups and scans, cancer ‘anniversaries’, news of someone else’s cancer diagnosis, or you notice any new aches and pains. People tell us they may experience some of the following, to different extents and at different times: intrusive worries about their health despite reassurance from their doctors, constantly checking for symptoms, difficulty making plans for the future, relying on unhelpful coping behaviours (such as drinking too much), keeping on searching for medical reassurance and information online, getting panicky or short of breath with reminders of cancer, or avoiding their follow-up appointments. Some people find that their anxiety and distress really interferes with their daily life and impacts their overall sense of wellbeing and happiness. People tell us: “My friends tell me ‘just don’t worry because so-and-so down the road beat it10 years ago’ – but it’s not that easy!” and many share the sentiment that “I really didn’t go through all of that treatment for life to be this hard – really!”.
The good news is there are lots of strategies we can learn to help ‘turn down the volume switch’ on the worries, and help us get back into life again. University of Sydney researchers developed an evidence-based ConquerFear(*) program a few years ago with strategies to help us pay less attention to fears and worries, and increase our focus on living life in line with what’s important (our values and goals). Their randomised controlled study found a greater reduction in fears at the end of the intervention as compared to those who took a relaxation program, and improvements were found when assessed six months later. Our team offer the ConquerFear strategies and tailor them to suit your unique situation and needs; we also offer a range of other strategies for common concerns for those affected by cancer, so do contact us to find out more.
*Butow et al., 2017. Randomized Trial of ConquerFear: A Novel, Theoretically Based Psychosocial Intervention for Fear of Cancer Recurrence. JCO 35(36)4066-77.ReplyForward
