A cancer diagnosis is stressful. From gathering information about treatment options to navigating relationships with loved ones, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and emotional. This session will provide concrete tools for sharpening self-awareness to better understand needs and gain strategies for coping with intense emotions like worry and fear.

1. CANCER. IT’S
PERSONAL
Boots on the Ground Strategies for Self-Care

2. “You have cancer.”
■ Information overload
■ Uncertainty about work or school
■ Emotional conversations with friends
and family
■ Fear about the future
■ Questions about long-term impact of
treatment

3. Stress 101
■ Stress is your body’s way of responding
to a demand.
■ Our body has a physical, emotional &
mental response to stress.
■ There are different types of stress and
not all stress is “bad”.
■ Stress is subjective. Personal.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

4. STEP ONE:
MANAGING
THE MIND
When you
feel
calmer,
you act
smarter

5. Emotional Toolbox
Starter Kit
■ Noticing.
■ Connecting with body
■ Connecting with others
■ Paying attention to what is
working for you & what is not.
■ Learn how stress shows up for you

6. NEWLY DIAGNOSED:
Changing landscape - Changing self-care
■ Education on individuality of
diagnosis and treatment options
■ Formulating questions for
medical team
■ Navigating the hospital system
■ Learning the members of the
medical team and their role
■ Pacing information and getting
organized

7. Beginning the Toolbox
■ Establish a list of trusted resources
for educating yourself
■ Get a binder or notebook to
organize information in one place
■ Write down all questions then
prioritize them before medical
appointments
■ Consider what you want people to
know as you begin to share the
news.

8. Anxiety = Unanswered
Questions
■ Educating yourself about your
diagnosis and treatment options
■ Getting to know ALL the members
of your medical team
■ Breaking down time into
manageable time frame of focus
■ Connect with a support group or
cancer mentor for a first-person
perspective to gather tips and tricks
for coping

9. ACTIVE TREATMENT
Changing landscape - Changing self-
care
■ Track treatment to understand
side effects and changes
throughout course of care
■ Need for control
■ Navigating work or school
■ Supporting or establishing
boundaries with family & loved
ones
■ Understanding & accessing
supportive care resources

10. Creating your All-Star
Support Team
■ Isolation is a risk factor for both anxiety
and depression.
■ Unmet needs lead to irritation,
resentment, frustration, loneliness, fear
■ Are there specific roles or tasks others
can have that are meaningful to both of
you.
– Messenger, help with kids,
researcher, help organizing
insurance claims, treatment
partner, walking buddy – OTHER
(add to Chat)
■ Try not to ignore or minimize your
distress. Your honest feelings are more

11. Facing off with Worry
“Take inventory of your present. What you know for sure.
Are there other possible truths?
Create a concrete plan for your worst-case scenarios.
Turn the lights on in the rest of the room. What is available to
you now?

12. Name It & Claim It.
■ Fear and worry many not completely go
away.
■ Naming a feeling gives you a little
distance from the feeling so you can
respond (not react)
■ Building tolerance for uncomfortable
feelings gives us flexibility with our
attention.
■ Take the hit of a feeling, greet the
“visitor”
■ Be realistic about your expectations for
the day ahead
■ Bookmark your distress and observe
changes over time.

13. Smooth Communication
■ Consider those in your support network.
Who is the best audience for your need
today?
■ Create (and rehearse!) simple responses
for casual interactions
■ Have ”Conversation Changers” ready if
you need to redirect.
■ Begin to pay attention to the topics that
feel sensitive to you.
■ Talking about cancer can be
complicated. Remember, important
conversations are an ongoing dialogue,
not a one shot deal.

14. The Feelers, The Doers & The
Distractors
YOU
FEELING
Friends
DOING
Friends
RESPITE
Friends

15. POST-TREATMENT
SURVIVORSHIP
Changing landscape - Changing self-care
■ Grieving losses and changes
■ Reconciling identity
■ Reconnecting with
relationships and activities
outside of cancer
■ Finding meaning and
purpose

16. Perspective & Balance
■ Focus on where you DO have control.
■ Zoom IN:
– This day
– This task
– Until next follow up appointment
■ Zoom OUT:
– Your values
– Your intentions
■ You are more than a cancer diagnosis
– Balance with parts of yourself
outside of your diagnosis