It’s easy to feel stigmatized with a cancer diagnosis. Having cancer is a challenging journey to cope up with. Being reassuring and confident becomes a trial. If you or your loved one is diagnosed with the life-altering sickness of cancer, hold your heart; life might seem gloomy and dark, but you need to pull yourself up and understand the diagnosis. 

As per medical experts and oncologists, patients respond differently to their cancer diagnoses and often take time to process the truth of uncertainty. However, if you have been diagnosed with cancer, undergoing treatment or helping a family member cope with cancer; these coping strategies might come in handy. 

Cancer and Feelings
Just as cancer can affect your physical health and well-being, it can equally affect your feelings. A cancer diagnosis can bring up a wide variety of feelings that people are not used to dealing with in their daily life. Cancer diagnosis also intensifies the existing feelings and make them seem harder. Often people go through a mix of emotions trying to feel strong and protect their loved ones, ask for help or even turn to their faith to cope up with their pain and insecurity.

The symptoms and side effects of the condition and treatment certainly cause physical changes and affect the way you feel and live. 

Coping with Cancer 
The process of coping with a cancer diagnosis and the ways of meeting goals and difficulties during the journey reflects “coping strategies.” Some of the coping strategies can be medical or physical, others emotional, and interpersonal or spiritual. Overall, all the coping strategies help refine the quality of your life which has been compromised because of cancer. The coping strategies can help you achieve satisfactory mental and physical well-being. They will also enable you to feel more energetic, resilient and encouraged. 

Confronting the Reality of Cancer: 
All patients respond differently to their cancer diagnosis. During an initial medical checkup, test results, and more, some patients confront their illness with full realities. They respond to the doctor by confronting the realities of their cancer. They aren’t afraid of asking brave and straightforward questions about the seriousness of their condition. Some patients also go to the length of reading up about their diagnosis matters online and trying to gain as much information as possible. This type of coping mechanism works for people who wish to accept their struggle as a cancer patient with no state of denial. 

Being Optimistic: 
After speculating and facing the reality of the cancer diagnosis, patients should attempt to preserve as much faith, endurance and confidence as possible. Not surprisingly, optimistic patients with a full reality-check of their diagnosis and about the plan of events adjust better to their illness than patients who are scared and pessimistic. 

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: 
Treating yourself to healthy food and a diet full of colours can lift your mood and recharge your energy levels. Choosing a healthy and fulfilling diet consisting of a variety of foods help patients going through various cancer treatments manage fatigue and stress of the treatments. Patients can also take up brisk exercise and participate in activities that they enjoy to help them find relief from the pain or fear. Several studies conducted suggest that patients maintaining a good diet accompanied with soft and slow physical exercise during treatment cope better and live longer.

Let your closed ones help you!
Accepting help and support from those who love and care about you might create a sense of dependence. However, it’s best to learn to accept the help from your friends and family while you undergo the cancer treatment. Patients should also encourage their family to accept help if it is required. Allowing assistance with cooking or chores from family or friends can go a long way in preventing caregiver burnout.