Anxiety after a lung cancer diagnosis can cause emotional and physical symptoms. You can try strategies like mindfulness, deep breathing, and therapy to help.

A diagnosis of lung cancer is a life-altering event. It may leave you feeling overwhelmed, scared, stressed, or anxious.

You’re not alone. Many people with a lung cancer diagnosis experience anxiety, depression, and emotional distress.

These emotions can occur at many points throughout diagnosis and beyond, including before, during, and after treatment. You may experience them at specific moments, such as leading up to tests or treatment, in response to medical trauma, or when thinking about the future.

Long-term cancer survivors also tend to have more anxiety than people who haven’t had cancer.

This stress and anxiety can cause physical and emotional issues, especially without treatment. These can include:

  • pain
  • digestive changes
  • heart palpitations
  • mood changes
  • irritability
  • trouble sleeping
  • generally feeling on edge

If this is happening to you, you’re certainly not alone. Keep reading to learn tips that may help you cope and what help may be available to you.

Feeling anxious can feel like intense fear, worry, or impending doom. It can feel especially difficult to manage anxiety about situations you feel you cannot control, especially those happening within your own body.

You may develop fear and anxiety about:

  • upcoming medical procedures or treatment
  • side effects or symptoms
  • past medical procedures
  • worries about recurrence or progression
  • treatment options
  • future plans

This anxiety can affect your mood, sleep, relationships, and overall sense of wellness. Unmanaged, it can also cause other effects, including:

Panic attacks

A panic attack is a sudden and overwhelming onset of fear, anxiety, or doom. A state of very high anxiety can cause it. Symptoms can include:

  • shaking
  • feeling detached
  • fear of dying
  • chest pain

Some people who have panic attacks think they’re having a heart attack, as symptoms can be similar.

Stress

Stress is the body’s response to change. The stress response is a survival instinct to let us know that something is wrong. Stress triggers the “fight or flight” response.

But chronic (ongoing) stress, like that associated with a cancer diagnosis, doesn’t just go away. This can cause many physical and emotional changes, including:

  • digestive changes, such as heartburn, upset stomach, and diarrhea
  • a racing heart
  • headaches
  • tension
  • jaw clenching

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety can look different for different people. There are many types of anxiety disorders, such as:

  • panic disorder
  • agoraphobia
  • generalized anxiety disorder

If you’re experiencing anxiety or distress surrounding your diagnosis or treatment plan, let your care team know. You may fill out mental health surveys before your appointments, but if these symptoms are negatively affecting your life, it’s best to mention them aloud and get help to address them.

To help, your healthcare team can:

  • help you better understand your treatment plan, including what side effects they expect you to have and how your team will manage them if they happen
  • recommend counseling, talk therapy, or support groups
  • prescribe medication that may help relieve or reduce your anxiety
  • review your medications to determine whether any may increase anxiety as a side effect
  • recommend other lifestyle strategies and changes that can help reduce anxiety

A lung cancer diagnosis, along with all the new information, appointments, and considerations that come with it, can feel anxiety-inducing or even traumatizing. But as time passes, you may find that your feelings of anxiety lessen or change. For instance:

  • Starting cancer treatment may help you feel you’re doing something productive to confront your diagnosis.
  • Getting used to the diagnosis and finding your “new normal” may help you feel more at ease in your daily life.
  • Taking steps to support your overall health, such as getting regular exercise or eating nutritiously, may help you feel more control over some aspects of your health.
  • Learning more about your diagnosis or getting involved in advocacy or research may help you feel more empowered.
  • Planning to do something fun, like a short trip or a visit with friends, may give you something to look forward to and focus on.

You may also find some general tips for managing anxiety useful.

General anxiety tips

It may also be helpful to talk about your anxiety with someone you trust. You can try to reach out to a friend or family member and tell them how you’re feeling.

Some people also find support groups or counseling services beneficial. You can find a group of people who are in a similar place in their lung cancer journeys and can relate to what you are feeling.

Some general practices that can help overall anxiety include:

  • getting enough sleep and rest
  • eating on a regular schedule
  • getting regular physical activity
  • practicing a hobby that brings you joy

Deep breathing

Deep breathing is a simple but powerful tool to manage anxiety. Practicing deep breathing can be helpful if breathing is difficult at times.

Deep breathing also strengthens your diaphragm, which helps control your breathing. As your diaphragm gets stronger, you can bring more oxygen into your body, using less energy.

Try these steps to practice diaphragmatic breathing:

  1. Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down on your back.
  2. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your upper chest.
  3. Breathe in slowly through your nose.
  4. As you breathe in, you’ll notice your belly rising as it fills with air.
  5. Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, noticing how your belly falls as you breathe out.
  6. Continue breathing in this way until you feel calmer.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that helps you turn your focus to the present moment. It involves using your senses to explore what is happening around you right now.

Mindfulness also involves noticing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. With practice, mindfulness helps you stay in the present moment, which can prevent worry and anxiety about the future.

Some ways to start practicing mindfulness right now include:

  • When doing deep breathing exercises, be sure to focus on your breath.
  • Take a moment to notice what sounds you can hear right now.
  • Focus on the colors of the objects around you.
  • Pay attention to how things feel when you touch them, such as clothing, surfaces, and objects around you.
  • Notice how the sun or wind feels on your skin when you’re outside.

These everyday experiences can start to feel ordinary, and we stop noticing them. Part of becoming more mindful is about really tuning in to what’s happening around you. This helps your mind stay present.

Mindfulness can prevent thinking about what has already happened or what may happen in the future. It’s powerful to give a single moment your full attention.

Meditation

Meditation is a method of achieving focus and mindfulness. It’s often seen as a more “formal” type of mindfulness.

There are different ways to meditate. Typically, it’s done in a quiet space where you can focus on your breath or a mantra. A mantra is a word or phrase that holds a special meaning for you. It gives your brain something to focus on.

It may be helpful to get some practice with mindfulness before trying meditation.

Remember that you don’t have to meditate to be mindful. Meditation is simply one mindfulness strategy.

You can try meditation by:

  • sitting quietly and focusing on your breath
  • listening to a guided meditation soundtrack
  • holding a mantra in your mind to focus on

Therapy

There are a variety of tools available if you feel you need more support following a lung cancer diagnosis. You may have a mental health counselor as part of your cancer care team. If not, there may be someone your doctor can recommend.

This mental health counselor is someone who can support you in better coping with stress and anxiety related to lung cancer.

Support groups may also be an option. There can be power in connecting with people who are on a similar journey.

Any major life change, both the good and the bad, can bring on stress and anxiety. These feelings are normal at times, but they can also harm your health if not managed well.

You’ve already sought support and treatment for your lung cancer. Don’t hesitate to do the same for your mental health.