After a diagnosis of prostate cancer, patients can feel stressed as they face uncertainty about their future and financial burdens. Many patients experience stress-related symptoms such as sleep disturbances, fatigue, body aches and pains, anxiety, irritability, tension, and headaches.
How do you deal with stress?
- Keep a positive attitude.
- Acknowledge that some things are out of your control.
- Be “firm” in your feelings, opinions, or beliefs, rather than becoming angry, impulsive, or negative.
- Learn to relax appropriately.
- Exercise appropriately to be better prepared to combat stress.
- Take care of balanced nutrition.
- Take care of rest and sleep. Good sleep helps to improve mood and relieve stress.
- Don’t reduce stress by drinking alcohol or smoking.
How do you relieve stress?
- Adjust your expectations. For example, make a list of 10 things you want to accomplish and then do them one by one in order of priority. This sense of accomplishment and control can be very helpful in reducing stress.
- Reach out to others for understanding and support. Family and friends can help patients better if they put themselves in their shoes and understand the stresses and problems they face. Some cancer patient organizations can also bring comfort and support to help patients cope better with their disease.
- Learn relaxation techniques. Learning yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, for example, through videos or offline classes, can help reduce stress.
- Distract yourself. For example, reading or listening to music can take your mind off your illness for a while and provide relaxation.
How do you learn to relax?
Relaxation exercises include breathing, muscle and mental relaxation, listening to music, and biofeedback methods. First, make sure you are in a quiet, undisturbed location, in a comfortable position (sitting or leaning back in a chair or couch), mentally tuned in, and try to remove anxiety and distractions.
Then, try the following:
- Two minutes.
- The two-minute relaxation method. Turn your attention to yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths and exhale the air slowly. Feel all parts of your body with your mind, noting those areas that feel tense or tight, and then quickly relax those areas to release as much pressure as possible. Rotate your head, slowly do one or two circular movements, and do a few shoulder wraps forward or backward (stop if it causes pain) to completely relax all your muscles. Recall a pleasant thought that makes you happy for a few seconds. Take another deep breath in and exhale slowly. It should feel a little more relaxed at this point.
- Think relaxation. Close your eyes and breathe normally through your nose. As you breathe in, whisper the word “one” to yourself, a short word like “peace”, or a simple phrase “I feel calm”. Do this for 10 minutes. If you get distracted, gently remind yourself to focus on your breath and the word or phrase you have chosen. Let your breathing become slow and steady.
- Deep breathing relaxation. Visualize a point directly below your belly button, then breathe in to it, filling your abdomen with air. As your belly bulges, let the air fill it up and then release it, like a balloon deflating. With each long and slow exhalation, it should feel easier.