Feeling Alone and Managing Relationships

The feeling of loneliness is a very common emotion amongst cancer survivors. This feeling can be felt as survivors deal with symptom management, potential changes in sense of identity, connecting with others and so much more. Based on our most recent needs assessment of Georgia's cancer survivors, we found that 21% of respondents needed help with the feeling of loneliness. It's important that this feeling is addressed as loneliness has been linked to depression. This powerful emotion can be triggered for a number of reasons such as:

• Not feeling as if anyone understands what you're going through.
• Being limited in the activities that you can do on a daily basis.
• Not hearing from family and friends that you expected to extend more visits or calls to you.
• Seeing others enjoy activities that you may be interested in such as vacations, sports, dining out etc.

It's important to recognize when you're feeling lonely so that you can act on dealing with the emotion.

Tips for Managing the Feeling of Loneliness

• Speak to a peer mentor (someone who has had cancer)
• Find relevant support groups
• Speak to a mental health professional such as a therapist or social worker
• Engage with friends in a way that feels comfortable to you
• Chat in online forums with other survivors
• Create new and fulfilling routines
  • Try cooking new recipes
  • Walking around your neighborhood
  • Crafting

It's important to remember that loneliness is a feeling and even if you physically are alone, you don't have to accept the feeling of loneliness. Every day choose to combat loneliness by creating a mental and emotional strategy for dealing with it. 

Last Updated: 10/29/2020 12:10:49 PM

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