Now that you have conquered cancer and your treatments have ceased, what's the next step to take? Many post-cancer patients find themselves in a state of bewilderment and confusion when returning to their old lives and daily routines. If you're in this situation and don't know where to turn, here are tips, ideas and strategies that will help you deal with post-cancer anxiety and improve your quality of life tenfold.

How To Manage Anxiety After Cancer

1. Find an Outlet That Soothes Your Soul

Rather than bottling your emotions away and becoming a shell of your former self, you should seek ways to keep your mind busy and focused on productive activities.

A brilliant way to achieve this goal is to start a hobby that brings you solace and comfort when anxiety beings to arise. Hobbies such as crochet, puzzles, woodworking, watching classic movies, playing piano, yoga and singing are brilliant ways to calm your nerves and build valuable skills.


2. Develop Breath Control

If you're anything like the average post-cancer patient, you know how debilitating and crippling panic attacks and anxiety can be for your mental health. One minute you're playing with your kids, and the next minute you can barely catch your breath because fear and worry have gripped your being.

For the moments that leave you feeling helpless and vulnerable, we suggest using breath control as a mechanism to regain your inner power. While the advanced breath-control techniques vary in their application, here's a basic routine that will help you lead an anxiety-free lifestyle after cancer:

  • Breathe deeply and hold your air for 5 seconds
  • Exhale slowly and count to 10
  • Once you have exhaled your breath entirely, pause for 5 seconds before breathing deeply once again
  • Repeat this process, focusing on the intricate sensations of air entering and leaving your body
  • If your mind begins to drift and worry, bring your focal point back to your breath
  • Repeat this process until your stress and anxiety melts away into the background.

3. Practice Gratitude and Maintain Your Health

As any former cancer patient knows, your health becomes a vital point of your life once treatments subside. Knowing this, you must develop a habit that expresses gratitude and appreciation for the little things that occur throughout your waking hours.

To start things off, grab a paper and a pen and take a few minutes to jot down the events, people and occurrences in your life that bring joy. By writing these items down on a piece of paper and reflecting upon them often, your sense of wonder and happiness surrounding your cancer-free lifestyle grows with each passing day.

You may also use your journal as a means of tracking your workouts, healthy meals and wellness habits that keep cancer at bay. By forming healthy habits surrounding your fitness and dietary choices, you increase your odds of remaining cancer-free in the months and years ahead!