As a former cancer patient, I’m all too familiar with the overwhelming fear and anxiety that can surface when life as you know it suddenly ceases to exist and that once-clear future is now uncertain at best.  One moment you’re living life at full throttle, and the next your world comes to a screeching halt, leaving you feeling shocked, scared, and in utter disbelief. The emotions I have been experiencing in recent days over the current coronavirus pandemic are eerily reminiscent of those I felt in the early days following my cancer diagnosis several years back.

Suddenly, and with little warning, the world as we knew it ceased to exist and we find ourselves in uncharted waters with no map to guide us.

While this is a shared experience for all of us in the sense that it’s a worldwide crisis, because each of us and each of our circumstances are different, this crisis will affect each of our worlds in its own unique way.  However, the fact that our individual journeys may be different doesn’t mean we can’t learn from one another how we might better navigate through these troubling times. 

While I am certainly not a trained professional, I did learn a thing or two during my cancer journey about dealing with fear and anxiety in a time of crisis that I’d like to share with you in the hope that it may offer a bit of inspiration and encouragement during this challenging time. 

If there’s one thing I learned during my battle with cancer, it was that my overall health and well-being was dependent upon my efforts to maintain a positive mental attitude.  Here are some of the lessons I learned and things I am currently doing my best to employ in an effort to maintain a positive outlook in the midst of this current crisis:

Limit The Intake of Information

After receiving my cancer diagnosis, it was five days before I was able to meet with a doctor to discuss the details of that diagnosis.  Five excruciatingly long days during which my questions were too many, my answers too few. Thinking knowledge would calm my fears, I began to search online for the answers I was seeking.  Unfortunately, without the accurate facts needed to guide my search, I began drowning in speculation and opinion, which served only to fuel instead of settle my fears. That’s when I decided to unplug. 

With our current crisis, there are still many more questions than answers.  And not a lot of concrete facts. Since there is still a lot to learn, much of what’s out there is simply speculation and opinion, which can be both misleading and downright scary.  When you tune in, be discerning and don’t accept speculation or opinion as fact. And if what you are reading or hearing begins to stress you out, stop exposing yourself to it. Take a break from the news and social media and find something more positive and constructive to do instead.

Take One Day At a Time

In the days immediately following my cancer diagnosis, other than the fact that I had cancer, I knew nothing.  How serious was it? Would a simple surgery take care of it, or would more invasive treatment be required? What type of impact would this crisis have on my family?  Our finances? My body? My very life? My mind began formulating all sorts of “what if’s,” and some of them were pretty darn frightening. Only time would tell if any of them would come true or remain strictly hypothetical.

Currently, I feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under us and I’m wondering how much more of the flooring will give way before we’ll know if there’s anything solid left to stand on.  And how much longer will it be before we even remotely return to some semblance of “normalcy?”

My cancer experience taught me that there’s no use in wasting energy dwelling on what may or, more than likely, may not come to pass.  While it’s important to be prepared and to plan ahead, spending time worrying about tomorrow will rob you of today’s joys. And there is joy to be found in the here and now, if you choose to make the effort to seek it.  We may not be able to control our circumstances, but we can control how we react to them. So take each day as it comes and leave tomorrow’s troubles for tomorrow.

Find a Creative Outlet

Binge watching your favorite movies or TV shows can provide a short-term escape from the stress and realities of the day; however, it’s not healthy to seek escape for too long.  Like an untreated wound, buried thoughts and feelings can fester. Stress needs to be relieved, not suppressed.

One way to relieve stress is to engage in a creative activity, such as cooking or baking, crafting, drawing, origami, coloring, woodworking, playing an instrument, gardening, or writing.  These types of activities can provide a distraction from pressure and worry, make you concentrate on the here and now, and provide a bit of relaxation. And they can help relieve stress in the same way that meditation or exercise can.

One of the first things I did once I was diagnosed with cancer was start a journal.  Writing was (and still is) very therapeutic for me as it allowed me to capture, process, and come to terms with the thoughts and feelings I experienced throughout my battle.  And I truly believe that writing played an integral role in my healing process.

Journaling is an activity I still regularly engage in and, as a matter of fact, I recently started keeping a journal in which I am keeping track of the coronavirus news and timeline as well as exploring my daily thoughts and feelings on the crisis.  I’m finding it’s much better to get my thoughts on paper than to leave them swirling endlessly around in my head.

Do Something To Help Someone Else

In his book, “Man’s Search For Meaning,” psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl argued that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose.  He believed that the greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life and saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage through difficult times.

While it’s natural to want to turn inward during times of crisis, one way to overcome feelings of helplessness and find meaning is to help someone else.   Numerous studies have shown helping others can assist in protecting your mental and physical health, reduce stress, combat depression, and boost your overall well-being.

During my battle with cancer I maintained an online journal that began as a way to keep my friends and family up to date on the details of my journey.  Over time, it became a means through which I was able to give back to all those who helped me by offering them hope and encouragement in return (as well as a periodic dose of much-needed comic relief, such as the “Top 10 List” of the benefits of wearing a wig I posted shortly after losing my hair during chemotherapy).  

During this current crisis my hope is that by sharing my passion for writing and some of these lessons I learned, I may somehow help you discover a thing or two that might help you better navigate these turbulent and troubling waters in which we now find ourselves.

What can you do to help someone else during this unprecedented time in our lives?  If you’ve chosen to pursue a creative outlet, perhaps you could share some of the fruits of your labors with others, such as sharing some of your delicious baked goods with family members or neighbors.  Or by sending a handwritten letter or handmade card to a friend or loved one you’re not able to visit in person. Or by simply reaching out by phone, text, email to someone you haven’t connected with for a while.  The effort you make could make a big difference in someone’s life, especially your own.

There’s one more thing that offered me the hope and encouragement I needed to see me through my cancer journey, one I know for certain will see me through this current crisis as well. However, before I reveal that one, I’d like to share with you a excerpt from the online journal entry I posted the day I finally had the opportunity to meet with a doctor five very long, confusing, and frightening days after I received my cancer diagnosis:

“The good news is that he seems to think I will make it through this just fine; however it’s the in-between that still holds a lot of questions for us.”

Now back to that one more thing…  It’s The Good News that I’m saved by grace through my faith in Jesus.  And I’m resting in that along with all of God’s promises. And I’m remembering that God never promised this life would be easy, but that He did promise to be with us every step of the way.  And I pray that you will consider all this as well.

Even though the in-between still holds a lot of questions, I know, with God’s help, I’ll make it through this latest crisis just fine.