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Lung cancer can significantly affect your quality of life, mental health, and overall sense of well-being. This is especially true if you feel like it limits your participation in activities you enjoy or prevents you from spending time with loved ones. It’s even more true when you’re waiting for test results and you’re not sure what the future will hold.
A little bit of self-care can go a long way toward improving your life and the way you feel. Here’s what you need to know to take the best care of yourself when living with lung cancer.
Self-care means doing the things that help you feel your very best. It can include practices that make you feel better mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. It can involve any type of activity, including:
Self-care strategies may be more important for people living with lung cancer than they are for the rest of the population. This is because lung cancer, treatment options, and side effects can affect nearly every aspect of your life.
Researchers find people with lung cancer who actively participate in their care may feel better, especially when it comes to fatigue. Thus, you’re one of the keys to your own well-being.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider the following ideas. These strategies have worked for others with lung cancer and might work for you too. You can also talk to your oncologist or another health care provider to get more ideas for balancing lung cancer and treatment with your life and well-being.
It’s important to have a support system outside of your oncology care team. People who can support you may be family members and friends who can listen well and offer encouragement. Some people may be better at offering tangible help, like cleaning your house or driving you to appointments, rather than offering emotional support.
Asking for help can be hard, particularly if you’re usually independent and now you need assistance. It’s normal to need other people, particularly when dealing with complicated conditions like lung cancer. The right people won’t mind taking care of you when you need it.
You may also want support from someone trained to help people process what it means to live with lung cancer and other serious diseases. A therapist or a counselor can provide this kind of support. If you’re getting palliative care, that team may include a mental health professional.
Lung cancer support groups can also be helpful. You may choose to join one online, like MyLungCancerTeam, or you can ask a health care professional about one close to you. As one MyLungCancerTeam member told another, “Please keep us updated on your journey. We are here to offer support and love, as we all are on our own fights against this horrible disease.”
People on MyLungCancerTeam rely on others regularly. One suggested that another, “Lean on your support.” Another shared, “I have great friends that have and still are supporting me through this journey. I couldn’t ask for anything better!”
Meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation can also be forms of self-care when you’re living with lung cancer. Mindfulness is one form of meditation, and they can both lead to relaxation.
There are many ways of practicing mindfulness. You can find methods that fit different religious affiliations, or you can find some that aren’t related to religion at all. YouTube offers some great video options to get you started. There are also smartphone apps that can lead you through guided meditations. You can meditate for as long or as short as you’d like.
Several people at MyLungCancerTeam use meditation to help them feel better. “The anxiety can be overwhelming,” one said. “I try to meditate and pray A LOT!”
Even if formal meditation doesn’t work for you, you can try relaxation techniques like slowing down to enjoy the simple pleasures. One MyLungCancerTeam member told another, “I like your approach of basically being mindful and staying in the moment.”
Getting quality rest is another way to care for yourself when living with lung cancer. While you can’t guarantee that you’ll sleep well every night, you can take actions to promote good sleep. These include:
Sleeping better might help more than you think. One MyLungCancerTeam member said, “I had a great night’s sleep. The best for me is good rest.”
If you can’t get enough sleep at night, make sure to rest when your body tells you to during the day. “Rest is one of the best things to do when we feel drained,” someone shared on MyLungCancerTeam. “It does help in our healing.”
Another added, “Rest if you feel you need to. If you feel active, do it, but don’t fight what your body wants.”
You may not feel up to exercising, especially if you’re going through lung cancer treatments or experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath. However, you can always ask your doctor about exercising and if they have any medical advice and recommendations. Regular exercise can help your mood and decrease levels of cancer-related fatigue.
If you haven’t exercised before or if lung cancer makes you tired, low-impact exercise is fine. Swimming, yoga, walking, and gentle biking on an indoor bike are all examples of exercise you might be able to do.
Some people on MyLungCancerTeam try to exercise as much as they can. “I’m taking an exercise class sponsored at my local senior center,” one explained. “I find these classes improve my mobility, as well as my positive mindset.”
Several members are committed to exercise even when the weather is poor, like the person who said, “I go on a walk every day. I also walk in my home if the weather doesn’t permit getting out.”
If you can’t exercise regularly or it doesn’t work for you, you can try to fit physical activity into your day, like the person who shared, “It’s a good day to do some leaf cleanup … just a wee bit to get some exercise.”
Living with lung cancer can come with feelings of worry and anxiety. One member shared that they were feeling increasingly anxious about an upcoming positron emission tomography (PET) scan. “I’m trying to stay positive,” they shared.
Another added, “My surgery is one week from today. I’m definitely feeling very anxious as it gets closer.”
If you’re feeling anxious, try setting aside a period of time every day to focus on those feelings. Notice what you’re worried about and whether it could be helped with some assistance from a friend, advice from your doctor, or more time for yourself. As you come to understand your feelings, they may help you make good choices about your future and your lung cancer care.
As much as you’re able, continue doing the things that bring you joy. These will be different for everyone and may include things like listening to music, spending time outdoors, dancing, or knitting.
Time with family and friends is one thing that brings joy to many people, and it can also help reduce fatigue in people with lung cancer. People at MyLungCancerTeam seem to agree that time with loved ones can be incredibly joyful. “I’m doing Christmas with my family,” one person shared. “The babies are so wonderful. How lucky am I!”
Another explained. “I’m getting ready for my family to arrive tomorrow. I love this time of year.”
Even everyday visits can raise your spirits, like they did for the person who said, “I’m feeling really good today. A couple of my friends are coming to visit today and bringing lunch! I’m really looking forward to this!”
MyLungCancerTeam is the social network for people with lung cancer and their loved ones. On MyLungCancerTeam, more than 12,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with lung cancer.
How do you practice self-care while living with lung cancer? Do you have any tips for others looking to start? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.
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Sarah Winfrey
is a writer at MyHealthTeam.
Learn more about her here.
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