Discussing changes in mental health can normalize this part of the healing process.
PUBLISHED May 16, 2018
Tamera Anderson-Hanna is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addiction Professional, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and became a Registered Yoga Teacher while coping with breast cancer in 2015. She owns Wellness, Therapy, & Yoga in Florida where she provides personal wellness services and coaching and she is a public speaker on wellness-related topics. You can connect with her at www.wellnesstherapyyoga.com.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As someone who has worked for several years in the mental health and substance abuse field, I am glad to see more and more individuals openly talking about mental health. Most people are likely to experience depression at least once, and there is no doubt that coping with a cancer diagnosis can bring on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Some individuals believe that bringing up the topic of mental health is taboo or can lead someone to feel depressed. In reality, bringing up such important topics opens the door to explore healthy ways to cope. And if you find yourself struggling a bit emotionally, it helps to find supportive resources. Also, attending a support group for mental wellbeing when coping with cancer does not necessarily mean you have a mental illness. You, and maybe even family members, could benefit from a little extra support while healing.
I was recently speaking with a local oncologist in Miami who is very interested in working together to create a presentation and workshop for cancer survivors to address healthy psychosocial adjustment following a cancer diagnosis. While specialists discuss pain management and explain what to expect following a cancer diagnosis, the emphasis seems to be put on how the patient is doing physically, not emotionally. As a mental health professional, it occurred to me after my own cancer diagnosis and procedures that no professional asked me how I was doing emotionally. It seems to me the role of mental wellbeing can have a lot to do with the quality of how individuals may heal physically. I will give the benefit of the doubt and say most of my medical providers knew I was attending yoga teacher training while undergoing procedures, so maybe they assumed I was OK and managing, but are others being asked?
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