The end of treatment is often celebrated as a victory. Yet it is also when a new worry appears: the fear that the cancer will come back. This fear is one of the most common reactions among people in remission. Although it is entirely legitimate and normal, it can take over daily life. Fortunately, there are ways to manage it and regain your peace of mind.

When fear takes up too much room

• Fearing the worst: the slightest symptom or smallest pain makes you fear the worst.
• Scan anxiety: upcoming follow-up tests trigger intense anxiety weeks in advance.
• Hypervigilance: a constant need to check your body or spend hours searching for information online.
• Avoidance: avoiding anxiety to the point of cancelling some medical appointments.
• Living on hold: you hesitate to make plans, as if your future were temporarily on pause.
• Just getting through the day: your sleep, concentration and personal relationships are deeply affected.

How therapy can help

The goal is not to eliminate all worry, which would be unrealistic, but to make sure it no longer runs your life. In therapy, we can:

• Identify what fuels your fear and what keeps it going.
• Step back from your thoughts by developing tools to make room for anxiety without being overwhelmed, so you can get through test periods and the wait for results more calmly.
• Reduce the checking or avoidance behaviours that keep this vicious circle going.
• Rediscover the desire to make plans that are meaningful to you and in line with your values.

Therapy draws in particular on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, approaches with recognized effectiveness for this difficulty.

After cancer, learning to live with uncertainty again

No one can guarantee the future. It is still possible to live the present fully despite uncertainty. Sessions take place online.