I am cancer free, so why don’t I feel happy?
At the start of the summer, Mary* (not her real name and shared with permission) reached out to us for some support. She had spent the last year going through and recovering from treatment for cancer and had received the wonderful news that she was now cancer free, amazing!
Except Mary didn’t feel amazing.
Having been strong for a year, focussing on one treatment and appointment at a time, Mary now felt every minute of that year hit her at once and she felt entirely alone. Those regular appointments she had were not only functional and life saving, but they had also given her brain a focus. Suddenly being told that she was cancer free, meant she also no longer had such frequent contact which is when the enormity of what she had been through hit her.
Not only did she suddenly feel the emotions she had been pushing down for a year, but she also felt terrified of the ‘what ifs’, what if the cancer returns, what if the treatment didn’t work, what if I get sick again? Instead of feeling excited about her future, Mary now felt terrified by it.
That’s when she reached out and scheduled some appointments with Lianne. Over the past 3 months, they have worked together every few weeks to firstly address the trauma elements of what she had endured, then they began addressing the health anxiety, where Lianne taught Mary countless tools, challenged her thinking and helped her to create more trust in herself.
The progress she has made over just 8 appointments is incredible. Mary has started to find enjoyment in her life again, started feeling optimistic and the health anxiety and trauma have all faded.
In Mary’s words
“I’ve got joy again and I never thought that was possible”.
What a comment, just think how powerful that is. She didn’t say “I’m less anxious”, or “I have got over what I went through”, she noticed something even more important. JOY.
Sometimes we spend so long in survival mode, we forget how to truly live.
If you are struggling with something that you feel is never going to go away, let us help. Maybe, we can help you find joy once again too!
Get started with Lianne here (free 30 minutes)
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