Here are some helpful ways to cope:

• I look for more information when problems arise or I hear bad news. 
• I talk with others and share my concerns when I meet a problem. 
• I try to lighten up and see the humor in a tough situation. 
• On some days, I just try not to think about my illness. 
• I keep busy to distract myself from being sick. 
• If reliable information shows I need a change in treatment, I do it without delay. 
• Cancer has made me re-examine my life, but there are still people and activities I enjoy.

The more of these methods you can use, the better you are likely to be able to deal with the challenges of cancer. The ACS Cancer Survivors Network is a way to share those coping skills with others and find "real world" answers to questions about cancer, treatment, and relationships.

Here is the second part of the coping checklist. Although these are common ways of coping with the emotional issues of cancer, you may recognize that they aren’t the healthiest ways to cope. Sometimes they will also drive people away from you just when you need them the most.

• I think this disease is probably my fate. What's the point of being a "fighter?" 
• When I'm upset, a drink helps calm me down. 
• I wish people would leave me alone. 
• No matter what I do, I can't sleep. 
• I can't help thinking I must have done something bad to deserve this. 
• Having cancer is bad enough, but to make matters worse no one knows how to take care of me.

When anger, hopelessness, withdrawal, and other negative emotions last longer than 2 weeks, it can be a sign of serious anxiety or depression. Go to the Depression Checklist and the Anxiety Checklist to see what signs of these problems a person with cancer might have. Keep in mind that both of these problems can be treated successfully.

ACS support programs reach cancer survivors and patients throughout the US, and practical advice is available online to help patients with managing day-to-day and coping with physical and emotional changes. For more information call your American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.

Revised: 1/3/2008