How to Journal to Cope with Cancer

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Express your difficult feelings.

   A journal is a place to express your deep emotions, even the ones you’re scared to admit to others.
   
   Take the opportunity to express the difficult feelings that are hard to talk about to others.
   
   Explore your difficult emotions, even the ones you may not want to admit to yourself or others.
   
   This can help you process your experience and express your difficulties in a positive way.For example, write about how you feel about your treatments and any fears you have about death, dying, or suffering.
   
   Purposefully processing and expressing emotions can positively affect adjustment and health, as found in breast cancer patients.This can be a difficult process, so plan on calling or meeting up with a friend after.
   
   Or, you can also plan a relaxing activity to help take your mind off of things, such as going to see a movie or taking a walk.
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   Step 2: Clarify your goals.

   A journal can help you organize your thoughts and create goals.Especially if you’re facing a difficult decision regarding treatment, you may want to journal about your choices and how you feel about them.
   
   Think about what goals you have for treatment and beyond and begin to put them into place.
   
   Writing about your indecision can help you make choices.
   
   For example, write your options and how you feel about them.
   
   Re-read your journal in a few days and see how you feel then.
   
   It may become clearer for you.
   
   Be sure to include both short-term and long-term goals.
   
   It is also helpful to break up large goals into objectives or small steps to help you accomplish your goals.
   
   For example, if your goal is to earn a promotion at work, then you might identify some things you can do to work towards that goal, such as completing all of your assignments on time, volunteering for an important project, and cultivating positive relationships with your coworkers. , Use your journal to create hope and things to anticipate in the future.
   
   Write down some positive affirmations for yourself, such as “I am a strong, resilient person and I will get through this.” This will help to prevent discouragement, self-loathing, and hopelessness.
   
   You can also journal about what you’re looking forward to and how you plan to continue once your treatment is over.You may wish to journal about what treatments are coming up and how you feel about them.
   
   You can also journal about what you might expect with treatments and how you will cope with changes.
   
   For example, you may wish to journal about how you will deal with potentially losing your hair and how that will affect you.
   
   You may have a goal of being cancer-free one year from now.
   
   Journal about what that would be like and how your life would change between now and then. , You may wish to document your experience, but don’t forget to include your own thoughts and feelings in your journal.
   
   This is your space to express yourself.
   
   Write about things that make you feel scared, what makes you feel unsure, and your thoughts about treatment.
   
   While it can be difficult to share your thoughts and feelings with others, take advantage of the opportunity to safely share them in your personal writing.Make a point to write at least one thought and one feeling each day in your journal.
   
   For example, start with writing your mood or current feelings (“I feel anxious about my next treatment”) and write your thoughts about what may happen.
   
   Include some things that you are grateful for as well, even if they are little things.
   
   For example, you might be grateful for a good cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise, or time to catch up with a friend.
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   Step 3: Navigate your way forward.

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   Step 4: Process your thoughts and feelings.

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