Coping with stress
How do you cope with stress?
Hi
, I am a 21 year lung cancer survivor, basically stable since my original tretment, and scanxiety used to overpower me at least a month before my scans are due, I get scanned every 6 months. Over the years I have gotten used to it a little, but meditation has helped me tremendously with anxiety in general. There are many forms, I personally like guided meditations for relaxation, health and sleep, there are many of youtube. Also, being part of a community really helps. We are very supportive here and it is a safe place to share. Other organizations, such as LUNGevity and Go2 Foundation have support systems in place. LUNGevity.org has a link on their website where you can sign up for virtual meetups/zoom for support. They have 4 virtual meetups a week, you can go to all or a few, whatever you choose. I am attaching a few articles written by one of our Community Members regarding ways to handle stress. I hope it helps! Please don't hesitate to reach out to us anytime, we are here to lift each other up. Kindly, Alisa, LungCancer.net Team
https://lungcancer.net/living/cancer-stress-management
https://lungcancer.net/living/5-free-stress-relievers
https://lungcancer.net/living/mindfulness
, What type of stresses? Is it newly diagnosed cancer or during the active treatment or after treatment? I feel at a different stage, I treated cancer very differently. For example, the newly diagnosed cancer patients, it's extremely difficult for so many things we have to handle besides desperate, frustrated, scared... For after treatment patients, we face different problems, like scanxiety, afraid of reoccurrence, friendships,... During the treatment, we are in a "fighting" mood with cancer, the efficacy of drugs, side effects, compatibility of the doctors... Nobody wants to have a stressful life, especially cancer, but we are on this journey, we have to learn how to handle it. I think you asked a very good question. This is the question that eventually you have to handle. I would like to share with you my experience if you can be more specific. I'm 6 years lung cancer survivor. Christine lungcancer.com Moderator 
Psychologists use expressive arts therapy in many settings to help people explore difficult issues in their lives.
Art, music, and dance are forms of creative expression that can help you process and cope with emotional issues, including depression. Expressive therapy goes beyond traditional talk therapy. It focuses on creative outlets as a means of expression. This therapy can be especially helpful for people who find it difficult to talk about their thoughts and emotions.
Expressive therapy can include various forms of artistic expression. This can include:
art
music
dance
drama
writing and storytelling
In expressive therapy, the therapist encourages you to use these arts to communicate about emotions and life events. These are often subjects that you may find difficult to put into words.
Learn more:https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/expressive-therapy#Overview1@Christine, thank you so much for sharing your insight with me! Being more specific can certainly help, and I think that's a valid point. While taking your advice into consideration, this specific question was meant to remain open to solicit an array of engagement and answers from the community. We are curious to hear from all community members so that no matter what stage they may be in, they are open to sharing their experiences and perspective within the forum. We'll be sure to keep this in mind for future forums, thanks so much, Christine!
Sincerely, Kailah H (Team Member).
