Hi everyone,
Sadly I’m writing today as I’ve found out my mums breast cancer has come back. Obviously this is devastating and I’m extremely upset about this, but for my mums sake I am trying to put on a brave face around her. Basically I’m trying not to cry or look visible upset, I want to be positive for her in an effort to keep her spirits up. However, I’m worried I may be coming across as unemotional or unaffected.
When she was first diagnosed 6 years ago, I was a teenager and she was married, so I wasn’t the primary carer. Being younger I wasn’t as focused on how my actions/emotions affected her state of wellbeing, and probably wasn’t as optimistic as I could have been. However now I am an adult and it’s just me and her at home, and the rest of our family is interstate. I will be the primary carer when she has chemo, and am going into this with the mindset of trying to be as helpful and supportive as possible.
I would assume that having people cry and be sad all the time would not be a helpful atmosphere, but I’m worried that my original plan of holding back my emotions around her will make her feel isolated or alone. I want to be a positive (or at the least, not a sad) presence around her.
Anyone have any advice?
