Emotional, Social and Spiritual Well-being

After your breast cancer treatment is complete, you may face emotional, social and spiritual concerns. You may experience mixed feelings about treatment ending or emotional ups and downs as you adjust to life after treatment.

As each person is different, there is no right way to feel or to approach any emotional, social or spiritual issues you may have after your treatment has finished. It is not uncommon for breast cancer patients to wait until after their treatment is complete before they seek counselling or support services, due to time constraints, fatigue or difficulty concentrating while in treatment. Some breast cancer patients seek counselling or support services while in treatment, and others never seek counselling or formal support services at all.

After your treatment is complete, you may experience emotional, social and spiritual concerns or anxieties related to the following:

• Fear of recurrence.
• Sadness or depression.
• Spiritual questions about life and death, or a new understanding of your faith.
• Dealing with questions and reactions from acquaintances, neighbours or co-workers.

Challenges in renegotiating relationships with friends and family as you move from illness to functioning more independently again.

Living well

Enjoy a balanced diet that is high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in fat and sugar. Try to get a healthy amount of rest and regular physical activity, avoid tobacco smoke and recreational drug use, and if you drink alcohol, limit it to one drink or less per day. Also try to keep your stress level down. These actions will help your overall health and well-being. Above all, don’t be too hard on yourself! Do things you enjoy. Pleasure can be a powerful tool for health and well-being.

Support services

It is important to know that you do not have to face these challenges on your own. It may be helpful to share your feelings and concerns with people who are supportive listeners.

You can speak to your health care provider or another member of your health care team for referrals to social workers, psychologists, counsellors and other appropriate resources in your community. Some people seek counselling from supportive care services at the cancer centre or hospital where they received their treatment. If you are a member of a faith community, you may choose to seek support from other members of this community.

Another option to consider is joining a breast cancer support group. These groups are usually made up of people who have experienced breast cancer and meet regularly to talk. There are breast cancer support groups in almost every region, and there are also groups that meet by phone or online.