A cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling a range of emotions that can change over time. It’s also completely normal and understandable to feel more anxious at a time like this. It’s important to draw on social networks for support but we recognise that sometimes, with more people living alone and others isolating to reduce their risk of COVID-19, social networks may be less available. Beyond Blue has created a resource designed to help you look after your mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.
While it may not be possible to have visitors or meet someone for coffee, online options such as Facetime, Sykpe, Facebook instant messenger, telephone and email, can help you to feel more connected to your friends and family:
- Try to make a point to contact your family and friends more often if you cannot see them in person.
- Schedule virtual coffee catch-ups and if you have the capabilites, try to use video calling as much as you can to feel more connected.
Online communities and forums also provide people affected by cancer with access to a network of people to talk to about life and their cancer experience. Cancer Council’s Online Community enables people from various cancer experiences and at different points in their journey to engage on online chat and access blogs and cancer information at any time, day or night. Carers can also access the forums to discuss or gain support from members of their community. Guess what, you're already here, why not check out the rest of the site?
Cancer Council’s 13 11 20 information and support line connects people to health professionals to answer questions from patients, carers or doctors and to link people to information and support programs they may need.
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