To help you handle any anxiety you may be facing, I’ve gathered several tips below. The one thing you don’t want to do is just ignore it and hope it will go away. It won’t. Taking action to process your feelings can go a long way toward easing your stress and helping your body to remain strong.

1. Write about it. Write down everything that’s bothering you, from the huge (I’ve got cancer!) to the miniscule (I don’t like my new couch). Somehow the process of getting it down on paper makes it more manageable. Once you have everything on paper, make yourself two lists. Title one “things I can change” and the other “things I can’t control.” Divide your list of concerns accordingly. For those things you can change, sketch out a quick plan to do so, and commit to doing something toward those goals every day until they’re accomplished. For those things you can’t control (like “I have cancer” and many other things), get support. Join a support group, talk to a friend, go to a counselor, talk to your pastor—whatever will help you feel better.

2. Do something you enjoy! When we’re anxious, we have a tendency to wallow in those anxious thoughts. The last thing we think about is doing something fun, so do just that—ask yourself what sorts of activities you enjoy, then do one of those activities. Go out with friends, play a round of golf, take a drive, spend a weekend away, whatever will stoke your “feel good” fires. Once you have a few more positive emotions pulsing through you, you’ll feel more capable of handling your anxieties.

3. Exercise. Even if you’re exhausted and wrung out from chemo, doing something rather than lying on the couch stewing in worry soup is bound to help. Go for a short walk in a pretty location. Watch a favorite movie while walking on the treadmill—even if it’s only for 10 minutes. If you just can’t pull yourself out of bed, sit up and stretch your hands, your arms, and your neck. Getting your circulation moving will spawn other changes in your body that will help you feel better.

4. Get answers. Most of the time we are anxious about the unknown. This is particularly the case with cancer and cancer treatments. We don’t know how these things are going to affect us, or what to expect, so do your research. Make a list of questions to ask your doctor or oncology nurse. Research on the Internet. Talk to people who have experienced the type of cancer you have. (Imerman’s Angels can hook you up with someone for free.) The more knowledge you have, the more you can come up with ways to deal with your situation, which will help ease anxiety.

5. Ask for help. This is a hard one for many people. Most of us like to be independent and believe we can take care of ourselves, but cancer isn’t something to be faced alone. Ask for help. If you have people offering to do things for you, accept. Remember that helping you will benefit them as well—it’s healthy to give to others. And if you’re getting help with meals, pet care, or transportation, that’s less that you have to worry about.

6. Believe in a power greater than yourself. The amount of anxiety I experience is directly related to the distance between myself and God. Turn over all your fears, worries and anxieties to whatever higher power you believe in so you can let go of worry and trust that everything will be as it should be.

How do you deal with anxiety? Please let us know.

Photo courtesy clarita via morguefile.com.

This isn’t the first time reflexology has been shown to benefit cancer patients. A British study found that compared to regular foot massage (in which reflexology pressure points weren’t stimulated), reflexology improved quality of life in 100% of the participants, compared to only 33% of the regular massage group. “Not only did the patients in this study enjoy the intervention,” said the researchers, “they were also ‘relaxed,’ ‘comforted,’ and achieved relief from some of their symptoms.”

In Australia, ten minutes of reflexology treatments helped provide cancer patients with relief from pain, nausea, and anxiety. According to the American Cancer Society, a 2003 study found that reflexology helped reduce cancer pain. And a 2007 study found that reflexology given by partners of patients reduced pain and anxiety in people with metastatic cancer. A clinical nurse specialist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center writes, “Reflexology is ideal for patients with cancer because it is non-invasive, can be performed in any setting, requires no equipment, and does not interfere with patient privacy….I have seen reflexology transform patients from very high anxiety of 8/10 to levels of 2/10 within the course of a single session.” She goes on to quote a study of 1,290 cancer patients in which reflexology was shown to produce a 50% improvement in their symptoms.

What exactly is reflexology? According to the UK Association of Reflexologists, the therapy operates on the theory that following illness, the body is in a state of “imbalance,” with vital energy pathways blocked. Reflexology restores and maintains the body’s natural equilibrium and encourages healing. A reflexologist uses hands to apply pressure to the feet, working on certain points of imbalance to release blockages and restore free flow of energy to the whole body. Pressure may also be applied to the hands and the ears, and is believed to send signals through the peripheral nervous system. Practitioners may use specific pressure points on the feet (similar to acupuncture), which are thought to correspond to certain parts of the body.

Reflexology isn’t only to relieve cancer symptoms—back pain, sports injuries, migraines, digestive disorders, and sleep disorders can all benefit from the treatment. However, if you’re going through cancer treatments and haven’t tried reflexology, now might be a good time. Sessions range from 30 minutes to an hour, and are usually very relaxing, with the potential to relieve symptoms and side effects. Check with your cancer center for alternative therapies, or look to area spas that may offer reflexology as part of their massage services.

Have you tried reflexology? Did it help you with chemotherapy side effects? Let us know.

Photo courtesy jolou via Flickr.com.

“The sense of smell is by far the most powerful of all our senses,” says Steve Pearce, one of the UK’s top experts on smells. “There is nothing between [the nerve receptors] and the brain, unlike other senses. Its direct contact means we get a very quick, very intensive reaction to odours.”

Author Luke Vorstermans, founder of The Sense of Smell Lab, agrees. “Our brain processes information delivered through sight, sound, taste and touch by identifying the incoming information first, which then triggers the emotions. But our sense of smell does the reverse. Incoming aromas are first processed by the emotions and subsequently identified. Our most powerful feelings are triggered when the emotional centers of the brain are activated by the stimulation of different smell receptors.”

This may help explain why so many cancer patients benefit from aromatherapy—the use of certain aromas to relieve stress, anxiety, pain, and depression. Aromatherapy uses essential oils extracted from plants to elicit different responses. “I’ve successfully used aromatherapy to help ease patients’ anxiety and promote relaxation, boost energy levels, and to help combat nausea and insomnia,” says Cherie A. Perez, RN, who teaches aromatherapy at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Place of Wellness in Houston.

Some studies have supported the effectiveness of aromatherapy with cancer, like the1998 UK study that showed that women with breast cancer who had aromatherapy treatments showed a significant improvement in feelings of anxiety, depression and stress.

If you want to try aromatherapy, ask your massage therapist to incorporate it into your massage (remind her that you have sensitive skin), or you can try it at home in many ways. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. (If your skin is cracked or wounded, use caution when applying oils and stay away from open wounds.)

• To overcome nausea or lack of appetite, inhale peppermint, cardamom, ginger, or spearmint (use only a couple drops).
• For radiation burns, dilute 12–20 drops of neroli, lavender, or blue tansy oil per ounce of aloe vera to make a soothing ointment.
• To calm fear, diffuse rose, neroli (orange blossom), spikenard, or vetiver in an aromatherapy diffuser, or apply a drop to a handkerchief and take with you to treatment.
• Create your own tumor-fighting mixture with a combination of rose, may chang, and almond; or almond, cardamom and sandalwood in a 1–1.5% blend with a massage oil.
• To encourage sleep, diffuse lavender or cedarwood in your bedroom.
• To raise your spirits and increase energy, add pink grapefruit or juniper berry to your massage oil, or diffuse in the living room (avoid citrus oils on your tender skin while going through treatment).
• To strengthen the immune system, mix bryony (4%), eucalyptus (3%), lavender (3%) and rosemary (3%) in a vegetable oil base and massage into the skin.
• Use aromatherapy bath salts or candles to enjoy a soothing bath, or add 8 drops of lavender, bergamot, or chamomile to the water.

Do you have a favorite way to use aromatherapy to relieve side effects? Please share it with us!

Photo courtesy of bardha neziri via Flickr.com.