Where can I find out more about emotional support?
For more information about emotional support, including suggestions for taking action and a list of resources, visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Why is knowing about emotional support important to people affected by cancer?
The need for emotional support doesn't stop when treatment ends. There are many ways to receive emotional support that can improve your quality of life and help you manage the challenges you face at any stage of survivorship.
What do I need to know about emotional support?
Your support systems are the people, organizations and activities that help you during your survivorship. There are many types of support systems: emotional, social, spiritual, financial, medical and legal. These are just a few of the types of support systems you can have. A common definition of an emotional support system is the people who help you deal with the emotions you experience during your survivorship and offer you encouragement and comfort during difficult times.
Emotional support systems may include:
• Family
• Friends
• Support groups
• Co-workers
• Neighbors
• Your health care team
• Faith based groups or clergy
• Mental health providers
• Other survivors
Emotional support systems can be made of many people or a few people. You may have people who help you in different ways throughout your survivorship. You may also provide your own emotional support system by taking care of your health and doing things you enjoy. If you don't have many people around you and you are feeling lonely, there are places you can call or go to find others to talk to or rely on for emotional support. Some ways to find this emotional support are through a support group, a free telephone counseling service or an online chat group.
Some examples of emotional support are:
• A card in the mail offering cheerful messages
• Meals made by friends
• The neighbors raking your leaves
• A long talk with your sister
• Being added to a prayer list
What steps should I take to address emotional support?
You may benefit from emotional support if:
• You often feel lonely
• You stopped going to church or synagogue or other faith based group
• You feel intimidated by your health care team
• You can't remember the last time you laughed
• You aren't sleeping well
• You or your partner shy away from intimacy
• You haven't spent much time interacting with your children
Even if you feel your life is full of people who love and support you all the time, you may experience strains in your relationships with people in your emotional support system.
Examples of strained relationships in an emotional support system:
• You are arguing with a spouse, friend or child
• Your ordinarily talkative family sits quietly around the dinner table
• Your best friend calls you less often
Open communication is usually the best approach to improving a relationship. And remember, this is not all on your shoulders. All relationships require give and take from both parties. Your role is to do just your part – not theirs, too. It is OK to let others know what you need.
