Author: Erin Sluka

A lung cancer diagnosis can bring up heavy emotions that can be daunting to accommodate as a parent. Add this to parenting responsibilities, and you may feel like your world is crumbling down. After a lung cancer diagnosis, you may wonder how to cope with your emotions, juggling work, family, and other important life commitments. 

While it may not be common, many other parents like you got diagnosed in their early years of parenting and have learned how to balance emotions during their toughest moments. Below, we’ll look at some effective tips on how to manage the parenting stress that arises during a cancer diagnosis.

Talk to Your Children About Your Condition

The first time talking about your lung cancer diagnosis with your children will certainly be a challenging moment. There’s a battle of anxiety and fear going on in you, trying to convince you to keep it to yourself, at least to protect them from the big change knocking. But there’s also the desire to let everything out early so they can learn to plan their lives around yours, at least for the duration you’ll be undergoing treatment. 

Whichever the case, talking to your children is always a great step toward achieving a less stressful parenting period while battling cancer. It prepares them for any changes and helps them understand when you’re unable to be present in every aspect of their lives as you used to be.

Embrace Activities That Make You Joyful

You don’t want to spend your treatment days thinking too much about the diagnosis and the impossibilities that create themselves in your mind. Rather, this is the best time to enjoy your favorite games, books, the company of friends, and good, healthy meals, among other activities. While you may not be able to perform all your hobbies as best you know, you can adjust how you do them to achieve maximum satisfaction without straining too much.

If you find a kids’ show you enjoy watching with your kids, this is the best time to do it together for stronger bonding and to bring everyone together. Finding activities that bring you joy and working with your hands doing arts and similar activities can distract the emotional part of your brain.

Create Time for Yourself

In the early days of your diagnosis, you may feel overwhelmed by the demands of the disease and family all coming at you in successive blows. In these moments, creating time for yourself can help you rest more often, follow through with your medical prescriptions effectively, and do the things that keep you relaxed. 

You don’t want to spend most of your time crying or doing the things that stretch your emotions and physical energy to the limits. Always prioritize your body over the chores you can push to some other time, like doing the dishes, ironing, or dusting the cabinets.

Join a Community

A community of parents going through a similar challenge can be helpful for encouragement and support. When you meet and talk about your challenges and worries, you may find people who have gone through the same predicaments and worked their way out. You can borrow their tips to improve your condition and live a stress-free life during your treatment.

Parenting stress during a cancer diagnosis can be a real struggle for many parents. However, by implementing these tips, you can enjoy a less demanding parenting journey during your lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.