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Tips for Cancer fighters Coping with Anxiety and Distress during this COVID19 Pandemic

Fear and anxiety keep us safe from harm. How do we harness the positive features of fear and anxiety without becoming trapped by their risks?

Feeling anxious or stressed about the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of feeling anxious and stressed about cancer? You’re not alone. We’ve heard from many individuals dealing with cancer that they feel like they’ve been hit with a double whammy.

Here are a few tips on ways to cope:

1. Keep doing what you love doing.

2. Respond skillfully to anxious thoughts.

3. Thought labelling, use humor, and weigh the consequences.

4. Check the facts, update youself with latest updates from valid sources.

5. Get your physical symptoms treated, and keep up on your cancer or survivorship care plan.

COVID-19 may make you hesitant to follow through on surveillance scans or attend follow-up appointments. However, it is critical to stay up to date on your treatment and survivorship care plan, take your prescribed medications, and keep your cancer in check. Though it may be tempting to skip a follow-up scan, screening or blood test, skipping can mean that a cancer recurrence or progression goes undetected, and isn’t treated in time. If you’re hesitant to attend an appointment in person, now is a good time to ask about virtual medicine, which involves meeting with your provider online.

Taking care of yourself during COVID-19 means doing what you enjoy, responding skillfully to anxious thoughts, seeking treatment for physical symptoms and side effects, and staying on track with your cancer treatment or survivorship plan. Taking care of yourself is always important as a cancer survivor, and during COVID-19, it is more important than ever.