What Do I Do Now? - 110

110
EMOTIONAL HEALTH /// CHAPTER 69
Beating the blues
Let's start with the most important:
If at any time you are having thoughts about not wanting to be alive, it is important to seek help immediately and
communicate your thoughts to someone you love or a mental health professional. Another great resource is the Suicide
Prevention Hotline, where you can remain anonymous (800-273-8255).
Get Help:
If you have at least five of the listed symptoms and find they are not going away after a couple of weeks, it is important to be
proactive so you can feel better. Any member of your medical team, inpatient or outpatient, can connect you to a professional
who can help you. It is common to experience depression as a young adult with cancer and there is help out there for you.
Stay Active:
Research shows us that being less involved in activities is related to extreme fatigue, depression, and poor quality of life
among cancer patients. Re-engage in previously enjoyable activities and work on becoming active again when you are able.
Choose activities that bring you joy or a sense of accomplishment and make a plan to do those activities, even when you
don't feel like it. With repetition and practice, it can eventually start to help. The less we do, the less we want to do. This
creates a cycle of inactivity, which is linked to more negative thoughts, tiredness, low self-esteem, sadness. It often takes
several tries to start to develop motivation. Focus on not letting your mood dictate what you do. Start small; it's easy to judge
what you are now able to do compared to the things you did before cancer. But, if you do one more small thing today than you
did yesterday (like walking outside for 5 minutes), that is progress!
Antidepressant medication:
Even if you do not have a history of depression and have not been on anti-depressant medication before, this may be a time
when such a medication could help you. Just like crutches are ordered to help you keep walking after you break a leg, antidepressant
medication can be used short-term to keep you going while you heal your mental health. Some oncologists are
willing to prescribe this for adolescents and young adults who are struggling with depression during their cancer journey,
others will have you get a prescription from a mental health provider. Talk to your provider to gather more information to
determine if this may be a good option for you.
* Talking with non-professionals helps too! Share your emotions with a family
member, a friend, or another cancer survivor.
OTHER
SUGGESTIONS
* Write it down - you may find it helpful to journal about your experience and
your struggles
* Read the social media of or articles written by another young adult cancer
survivor with a similar experience.

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What Do I Do Now?

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of What Do I Do Now?

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What Do I Do Now? - 1
What Do I Do Now? - Contents
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