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Terror

Sarah277
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I just wondered if anyone has any ways to deal with the feelings of terror or anxiety? I feel as though I can be normal (ish!) in the day, doing normal things but at night I can't sleep and am constantly catastrophising about the worst possible senarios. My heart races and I am panicking until about 3am when I fall asleep. My uncle died from Melanoma and I think this may be contributing to me focussing on the worst case. 

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    It is a very scary time waiting for results - almost the worst part of the process in my view.  Once you have these results I therefore think it might be easier for you.

    Know that what you are experiencing is quite normal and it will pass.

    Also do the usual things to get a good night's sleep eg cutting down on caffeine, avoiding screen time close to bedtime.

    You could also try out breathing exercises and/or look into CBT which teaches techniques to manage "unhelpful thoughts".

    Know that if the worse case scenario happens and you are diagnosed with cancer there are plenty of treatments available and it is not the horror story that it once was.

    I have generally find that things are far worse in anticipation than when they actually happen....

    Oh and you may / may not want to consider medication..

    Hope that helps

  • Offline in reply to Hopecalm

    Thank you so much. I think I am making things worse for myself because I almost feel as though if I don't worry about it and take it seriously then it will be worse, which I know is ridiculous. Will try going for a calming walk this evening and distract myself. Thanks again. 

  • Offline in reply to Sarah277

    Hi 

    my husband was diagnosed with cancer back in October- I had similar experience to you looking at worst outcomes and thinking about it all the time.
    I registered for some free talking therapy with NHS - 6 sessions which were helpful. you can self refer - not sure if this is available in all health district. I chose phone 1-1 as I could fit in around appointments and learnt strategies to control my worry. 
    most advice is to try not to look too far ahead and don’t worry about things you don’t know. It’s really hard to do but it is the way forward - otherwise you get exhausted. I did see my gp and was given mild medication - this is a temporary measure and does help take the edge off. exercise and distraction help too - booking to see friends in the future helps - means you have other things to look forward to - not just appointments. 
    Good Luck 

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