A mesothelioma diagnosis is an inescapable life event that turns everything in your world upside down. Between constant doctors’ appointments, your deteriorating health, and your concerns over family and finance, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and to spin yourself into a state of acute anxiety or depression. Here are some tips and techniques for staying focused and calm:
Focus on another problem:
Even people who are dealing with mesothelioma have other issues that need to be handled. Whether it is your wife’s list of household projects or a long-overdue phone call to a family member that you’ve been putting off making, by paying attention to another immediate need you can push your worries away.
Put your problems in perspective:
Mesothelioma patients have undoubtedly been dealt an unfair hand, but as is true in every tragedy, there is always somebody who is in a worse position. Simply watching the news and hearing about people who have lost everything is often enough, but walking around the hospital and seeing parents dealing with a child’s cancer diagnosis will generally provide you with a sense of gratitude for the long life that you’ve had prior to your diagnosis, as well as the health of your family.
Find a distraction:
One of the gifts of today’s digital world is that you can distract yourself with endless entertainment. Find a mini-series to watch, read a book, or work on your favorite hobby. Perhaps you want to put together a scrapbook of your life for your children to enjoy, or write down some of your favorite memories.
Repetitive activities can be meditative:
There is a sense of relief and escape that can come from doing something repetitive, whether it is walking, knitting, yoga or listening to music.
Choose to talk or stay silent:
Some people like to speak out about their frustrations about their mesothelioma diagnosis. If that’s the way you are, joining a mesothelioma support group will probably provide you with effective relief. If you prefer to internalize, there’s nothing wrong with that, though it may still be helpful to write down your feelings as a way to let them out.
Mesothelioma presents challenges that most people never dreamed they would face. If you need assistance with finding resources to help you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
