Anxiety and cancer – the symptoms

Cancer diagnoses or post-treatment concerns may present as physical symptoms. If you notice any of the following, you may be suffering from anxiety:

• Faster heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Feeling light-headed or nauseated
• Restlessness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty with memory or concentration

Anxiety can present in short bursts, or be a longer term issue. Short-term symptoms are likely to be temporary changes to your heartbeat, sleeping pattern or breathing, while longer-term symptoms might be feeling distracted, irritable  or worrying excessively. 

Again, this is perfectly normal. You may have realistic concerns about your health, side effects, the treatment, or the impact on your family. There are many ways you can manage anxiety and cancer.

How to overcome panic attacks

Short-term symptoms of panic may occur if you’re feeling particularly anxious. You might notice changes to your breathing, nausea, sweating or the feeling that you’re ‘losing control’. It is important to remind yourself that anxiety will pass, and remember that it is an unpleasant but normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times.

You can overcome panic attacks with controlled breathing or  grounding exercises. For instance, you could try the ‘5,4,3,2,1’ method. With this method, you need to count:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can feel
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste.

Spend some time engaging with your senses and noticing what is happening around you in the moment. This helps to bring you into the present, rather than focusing on the ‘what ifs’ or catastrophic thoughts that your mind can conjure up, which may be causing your anxiety.