Four options for solving any of life’s problems
“Cancer can leave you feeling exhausted, so ensuring you get the right nutrition and doing some simple exercises can help lift your energy levels and boost your mood.”
Dietitian-run classes offer tips on nutrition and there are also cancer-specific exercise classes available. Complementary therapy sessions, helping with body image and managing any side-effects from treatment such as hair loss, for example, can also be accessed.
“There are wonderful services across the country, which run everything from make-up sessions to scarf-tying classes,” says Jonathan. “And while you may not have thought about trying therapies such as massage, reflexology or reiki before, these are well known to make a great difference for people struggling with stress, fatigue and anxiety through the course of, and after, their treatment.”
If you know of a service in your local area which you think should be added to the map, visit cancercaremap.org WHEN faced with difficult situations, especially those that stir up our emotions, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
When emotions cloud our judgment, it can make it harder to make decisions and we can get caught up in ruminating about problems, leaving us feeling worse.
Overthinking and overanalysing situations can also be problematic.
For example, trying to figure out the best solution and worrying about doing the right thing can increase anxiety and stress.
In some cases, we can get so embroiled in our problems that we end up completely stuck and avoid doing anything proactive to resolve the situation.
At times like this, I find it helpful to remember that we only ever have four options for solving any problem.
1. Solve the problem – Of course this may be easier said than done but remember that solving problems involves either leaving the situation or changing it in some way.
This often involves the following steps: defining the problem, being clear about what you want to change, considering possible solutions, picking a solution and implementing it, evaluating whether your solution was effective and if not, trying something else. 2. Change how you feel about the situation – to do this you need to consider how you are viewing the situation. Is the way you are looking at the situation fuelling your emotions?
What are your interpretations, judgments and assumptions?
Check the facts – are there other ways of looking at this situation that will help you to feel better about it in general?
3. Tolerate the problem – A third option is to accept the situation for what it is. This might mean accepting that there are things about the situation that are outside of your control. When we wholeheartedly accept a situation for what it is, we stop fighting with reality. That doesn’t mean we approve of the situation or agree with what is happening, but we stop adding to our suffering by wishing or demanding that things were different.
4. Do nothing – the final option is to do nothing but remember, sticking to unhelpful coping strategies such as ruminating or trying to avoid painful emotions usually means staying miserable or making things worse.