Mind: Supporting Your Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
At The Cancer Support Centre, everything we do is guided by our Four Pillars of Support:
Mind • Body • Spirit • Community
This blog focuses on Mind and the importance of supporting your mental and emotional wellbeing during and after a cancer diagnosis, as well as while caring for a loved one affected by cancer.
A cancer diagnosis can affect every aspect of life, not only physically, but emotionally too. Worry, anxiety, uncertainty, stress, low mood and feeling overwhelmed are all common experiences. Some people struggle during treatment, while others find the emotional impact comes afterwards, when life is expected to return to “normal.”
Looking after your mind is not a luxury – it’s an essential part of living with the impacts of cancer. When your thoughts feel calmer, everything else can become a little easier to manage.
Small Moments Matter
Supporting your mental wellbeing doesn’t always require big changes. Often, it’s the small moments throughout the day that help you feel calmer, more grounded and more able to cope.
Simple activities can help to:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Create a sense of calm
- Improve sleep
- Lift your mood
- Help you feel more in control
You may find it helpful to spend a few minutes each day doing something just for yourself.
You could try:
- Box breathing – slowly breathe in, hold, breathe out, then hold again, repeating at a steady pace.
- Spend time in nature – enjoy a short walk, sit in the garden or simply open a window and listen to the birds.
- Notice the small things – the movement of clouds, fresh air on your face, rain falling or leaves moving in the breeze.
- Take a mindful pause – allow yourself five quiet minutes without distractions.
- Talk to someone – sharing how you’re feeling can make difficult emotions feel lighter.
Remember, everyone’s experience is different. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to rest when you need to.
Preparing Your Mind for Treatment
Mental wellbeing is just as important before treatment begins.
Prehabilitation, often called prehab, focuses on helping people prepare physically and emotionally for cancer treatment. Feeling mentally prepared can help reduce anxiety, improve confidence and make treatment feel more manageable.
Prehabilitation often includes:
- Movement – gentle activity to improve strength and stamina
- Nutrition – eating well to nourish and support your body
- Emotional wellbeing – reducing stress and helping you feel more prepared
At The Cancer Support Centre, we offer a range of support that can help you prepare emotionally, including counselling, complementary therapies and relaxation techniques.
It’s best to begin prehabilitation as soon as possible after diagnosis. If you’ve recently been diagnosed, please do get in touch with us.
You will can book a 121 Prehabilitation therapy session to find out the things that will specifically help you get ready for treatment.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation isn’t only about physical recovery. Emotional recovery is equally important.
Many of our clients find that they simply don’t feel the same after cancer treatment.
There can be a sense of ‘what now?’ when treatment is over. Some people are unsure how to return to their ‘normal’ lives, some people want to find a new normal.
Rehabilitation looks different for everyone, it’s about taking gentle, manageable steps at your own pace.
We offer a range of therapies and support that can help with rehabilitation, including:
→ Gentle yoga and tripudio
→ Talking therapies
→ Complementary therapies such as massage and reflexology
One of our clients, Vicki, said:
“I was so strong throughout the medical treatment and once this was over I fell apart and this is when I reached out. The Cancer Support Centre were there to listen to me, helping me to make sense of my emotional turmoil. For me this was as important as my surgery.”
Finding the Right Support
There is no single way to care for your mental wellbeing. Different approaches work for different people, and often a combination of therapies can make the biggest difference.
At The Cancer Support Centre we offer a wide range of support, including:
- Counselling and talking therapies
- Hypnotherapy
- Relaxation sessions
- Reiki
- Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
- Creative visualisation
- Homeopathy
- Complementary therapies
- Weekly support groups
Whether you want to talk, relax, learn coping techniques or simply spend time with others who understand what you’re going through, we can help you find the support that’s right for you.
Our Team
Roy has been part of The Cancer Support Centre since 2008 and is both one of our therapists and one of our trustees.
As a Holistic Therapist, Roy is trained in a range of therapies including Hypnotherapy, Life Coaching and Reiki. He also runs our weekly relaxation group.
One client said:
“My sessions with Roy have been amazing, helpful. I would go as far as to say life saving for myself and my family.”
Another said:
“My issues have definitely improved. I would recommend him to many people that have different mental or physical problems.”
Like all of our therapists, Roy takes time to understand each person’s individual circumstances.
You Don’t Have to Face This Alone
Looking after your mind is an important part of your overall wellbeing.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, having treatment, recovering afterwards, or supporting a loved one affected by cancer, we are here for you.
Every client begins with an appointment with one of our Client Advocates, who will take the time to understand your needs and help you choose the therapies, groups and support that are right for you.
At The Cancer Support Centre, our aim is to help you be the best you can be today, tomorrow and moving forward. 💙