We are susceptible to fits of doom.
They say not to wait until someone's funeral to say nice things about them. (It's okay to mention funerals, right? Because when we are in the pit of doom we are often thinking about death. Why not mention it?)
When we are in the pit of doom here are some things to remember:
The pit of doom is a small area in Cancerworld. It's not too deep and we usually don't land there for very long. In other words, it's good to remember that this feeling is temporary.
There are some things we can do when we are in the pit of doom...
reach out to someone we love to chat,
write notes to people we love and tell them what we like about them,
picture people we love in a meadow with sunshine and water nearby,
list all the reasons why we love a particular food,
describe a particular pleasant smell,
paint a picture of our favorite plant,
pet our dog, cat or guinea pig,
make a list of words that make us smile,
plan our funeral
better yet, plan a party that just celebrates anything
Go outside and take 10 deep breaths.
We may do any of all of these things and those actions may not automatically lift us out of the pit of doom. And, even if these actions don't free us completely from the pit, they can at least keep us occupied while we are sitting in the pit.
If we find ourselves going back to the pit (or stumbling into it while we apparently wander in circles), it might be a good idea to reach out to a counselor, social worker, or trusted friend. Many of us may run into emotions and conditions in Canncerworld that we haven't experienced in our previous life. Things like anxiety and depression may sneak up on us and if we haven't experienced it before it may take us a while to recognize. Recognition can help us figure things out. And all of use need help to get through Cancerworld. Sometimes that help is our oncology nurse and sometimes it is a counselor.
This may also be true for folks who are not in Cancerworld.
Comments