How to cope with fear, anxiety and panic

Reducing anxiety

Most people with cancer won’t feel anxious all the time. You may just have short episodes of feeling very anxious.

You might feel anxious:

• just before treatment

• when you think about going to the hospital

• after treatment

• when you go to the hospital

• before a check up and while waiting for results

Finding ways of dealing with your anxieties

It helps to find your own way of dealing with your anxieties. You may want to try:

• taking a friend or relative along to support you during treatment

• sharing your worries with your nurses and doctors

• using relaxation exercises such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or visualisation before and during a stressful situation

• having a relaxing massage or reflexology treatment once a week

• doing some form of regular exercise that you enjoy

• seeing a counsellor to develop new ways

Talking to your doctors and nurses

Your doctors and nurses are there to help and will want to make things as easy as possible for you.

Try to let your doctors and nurses know how you are really feeling. They will be very sensitive and encourage you to tell them about your anxiety.

Counselling and talking therapies

If your anxiety is constantly affecting your day to day life and you feel in a permanent state of worry and panic, you might need some professional help.

Your doctors and nurses may suggest that you get some help from people trained to help you deal with anxiety and panic problems. This might be a:

•  psychologist

•  psychotherapist

•  counsellor

Help from experts

You might worry that these experts only treat people who are mentally ill or under severe stress. Or that it means that you’re weak. But neither of these is true. Seeing a professional, even for just a quick check up, can help support you. It stops things from becoming worse.

Many people have counselling and psychotherapy to help them cope with day to day emotional or behavioural challenges. This can include:

• depression

• phobias (such as a needle phobia)

• shyness and social anxiety

• panic attacks and severe anxiety

• eating and sleeping disorders

• coping with other people

Types of therapy

There are several types of therapy that may help you overcome anxiety and panic. They include:

• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

• applied relaxation

These talking therapies can be a very effective way of treating anxiety and panic.

These treatments might not suit everyone, and there are other types of therapy that might help you as well. You might need to first meet with a psychologist or a counsellor to discuss which type of therapy might suit you best. Try different types of talking therapy and therapists until you find the one that works best for you.

Read more about counselling

Other treatments

Your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety tablets as part of your treatment. This is usually if you are having very severe anxiety problems and panic attacks.

These medicines work by helping you feel calmer and more able to cope. So it gives you the space to try to understand and overcome your fears and anxieties.

These are not the same as antidepressants. You will probably only take them for a short time. Anti-anxiety tablets are not a long-term solution. They will not solve the underlying problem causing your anxiety.

For the long term, your doctor may prescribe antidepressant treatment to relieve your anxiety. They may also refer you to talking therapy. Combining both can be effective for many people.

More information