Stress Relief for the Mesothelioma Patient

It’s normal for patients to feel alone and isolated, sometimes angry about their fate and there is almost always fear. It’s important for a patient to do what they can to reduce the stress around their new situation. Easy to say, but not so easy to do – that’s true but there are some factors that will help.

Educate yourself – fear of the unknown and of what you don’t understand is difficult for many people. Take the time to learn about your disease, the treatments available, clinical trials that may or may not be ready and research your options. Learn about pain management, such as therapy, medications etc. and learn about what might work for you. The more you know, the more you and your family can make informed decisions about your future.

Take good care of yourself – trying to eat healthy, exercise regularly and rest often will go a long way to fight the fatigue and stress that goes along with mesothelioma. A good health routine will help to prepare the person for any upcoming treatments. Being healthy will also give the person a better quality of life.

Stress Management – doing whatever it takes to minimize stress in the patient’s life is very important. If the patient becomes too stressed out, they may become depressed and possibly even contemplate suicide. It helps to have family around. It’s important for the patient to find peace with himself and his treatment and that can be helped with the support of a loving family.

Meditation – this is a great way to relax and let go of all the things that are bothering a person throughout the day. Many people the world over start their day with a meditation to have a good day and end their day with a second mediation to let go of all the bad things from the day.

Massage – this is another way to lessen both the physical stress of going through treatment as well as the emotional and mental stress. Massage can help to reduce the level of pain in some patients.

There are other simple things that one can do to help minimize stress for a patient. It’s important to try and maintain a balanced weight. It helps if the meals are all planned by a doctor or a nutritionist to make sure the patient’s nutritional needs are being met (and prepared for the patient is even better). Many patients turn to their faith at this difficult time or join a spiritual/counseling group for help in coping with this life threatening disease.