Anger is a common and normal response for a person living with cancer. A person with cancer may experience anger about the way the cancer diagnosis has disrupted his or her life, about the treatment and possible side effects, or about the way that family members and friends are reacting.
Anger can be expressed in a safe and positive way or in an unhealthy way. On the positive side, it can be a source of power to help change things for the better. For example, anger about cancer may provide the person with energy and strength to endure the challenges of treatment. However, if anger is not expressed appropriately, the person may internalize the feelings, which can lead to depression. Meanwhile, some people may try to cope with angry feelings by abusing alcohol and drugs. And if anger is expressed uncontrollably, the person may be at risk for hurting themselves or others. The best way to deal with anger is to identify it and find a way to express these feelings in a safe way.
Tips for coping
Recognize anger. It is important to identify when you are angry. Sometimes people act out their anger—for example, by yelling at their spouse—before they are fully aware that they are struggling with the emotion.
Avoid taking out your anger on others. A person living with cancer may focus his or her anger about the disease on family and friends, which could drive away much-needed support. It is important to direct anger at the cause of the feelings, instead of other people.
Don't let anger mask other feelings. Your anger may also be mixed with other emotions. Anger is sometimes used to hide other painful feelings that are difficult or uncomfortable to express, such as sadness or hopelessness.
Don't wait for anger to buildup. Express your feelings as soon as you recognize the anger. If you wait until your anger is severe, you are more likely to express it in an unhealthy way.
Find safe ways to express your anger
*Its normal to be angry, we are all human after all. Its just a really sad thing to go through. I guess getting angry helps your body prepare and also its a normal part of grieving for this disease and a part of grieving..
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THE MOST MOMENTOUS CHANGE IN Kate Jackson's life began early one morning in January 1987, during her fourth season on the hit TV series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. After a phone call informed her that the show's taping was canceled because costar Bruce Boxleitner had the flu, Jackson went back to sleep. When she woke several hours later, "It was out of the blue, but perfectly clear," she recalls. "I sat up in bed and literally said, 'You have to have a mammogram.' " She did, and two days later a biopsy confirmed her vague fears: A minute growth found in her left breast was determined to be malignant. "I was forced to face, squared up, my own mortality," says Jackson. "I had to decide whether I wanted to live or to die. And if you choose life, as I did, it's never the same." For three TV seasons 16 years ago, she was famous as Sabrina Duncan, a girl-next-door gone glamorous and the character critics dubbed the brainiest o
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