Wrapping your brain around the word “cancer” when spoken about you or someone you love evokes a flood of emotion. No, that can’t be right. Not me, not us. Cancer is something that happens to other people, sick people. I feel OK, so maybe they were wrong? Will I die, will I lose my hair, will I suffer, will it hurt, will I be disfigured? Fear, shock, a sense of altered reality and feeling strangely ill at ease in a body that you feel has turned on you. You think – “maybe if I don’t tell anyone it won’t be real, they won’t see me as sick, and I can still be myself”. But you find that being “yourself” around people who don’t know what you are going through is much harder than you thought.
Navigating a world suddenly changed by a cancer diagnosis can be a very lonely and isolating experience. People tell you that if you stay strong you will beat it, and tell you not to ask questions like “what if I don’t”, and silence you if you give voice to your fears and doubts. In counseling you don’ have to be strong all of the time, you can cry, you can say aloud those things you can’t say to anyone else without them trying to cheer you up or fix it. Getting support from someone who has been there, someone who gets it and someone who won’t tell you “not to think like that” can be an enormous relief.
If you are reeling from a cancer diagnosis or are struggling with how to support someone who has received a cancer diagnosis, I can help. CONTACT ME to schedule your free 30-minute introductory session and to learn more about how counseling can help you navigate a cancer diagnosis.
Watch my Webinar on Navigating a Cancer Diagnosis Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv1qLipnHDM