Managing stress with metastatic breast cancer

Receiving news of a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis will trigger many emotions, including fear, anger, sadness, worry, grief, and more. Whether your diagnosis is a metastatic recurrence of early-stage breast cancer or a first-time breast cancer diagnosis, it can feel overwhelming.

Everything might seem to be happening fast. No matter what your situation, your world has changed, and with that comes anxiety and stress. It can come in the form of physical, mental, or emotional tension.

It’s not uncommon to focus on just one question after a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer: “How long will I live?” Mortality is no longer an abstract thought. Still, as you and your care team create a plan, you will learn about treatments that are helping people live longer and continue doing things that are important to them.

Everybody responds differently to stressful events. How you respond depends on many factors, including previous experiences, your life situation, and your support system. On this page, we’ll talk about different situations that can trigger stress, and things you can do to reduce stress.

Types of stress

There are many ways to reduce feelings of stress, and different people may need different kinds of support. To find the right support, it can help to understand the different types of stress:

• Acute stress is intense and is usually a reaction to a specific event. It may last for only a few days or sometimes for weeks. It’s normal to experience acute stress immediately after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, or if a treatment isn’t working as well as it used to. It can be hard to think about anything else. Often, this kind of stress subsides once you have a new treatment or other action plan in place. If after about 6 weeks, you feel that acute stress is interfering with your daily life, it is time to ask for help.
• Chronic stress is less intense than acute stress, but it tends to be more continuous. Often, chronic stress results from the ongoing nature of treatment for metastatic breast cancer. The physical evidence of treatment, such as hair loss and fatigue, can be a constant reminder of your health status. Even if you are not currently in treatment, the anxiety around regular scans or doctor visits can be stressful. Personal, financial, and work worries, and fear about the future, can cause chronic stress.

Specific events can cause stress or anxiety. These are called situational triggers. In metastatic breast cancer, situational triggers can include:

• Making treatment decisions
• Experiencing symptoms and side effects
• Scans and other tests to see how cancer is responding to treatment
• Being asked about the breast cancer or when your treatment will be “over”
• Learning that a treatment is not working as well as it once did
• News articles or public events that focus on “beating” breast cancer
• A friend or loved one with metastatic breast cancer experiencing a health challenge
• Other stress that is not related to breast cancer

Ways to reduce stress

There are many ways to reduce stress, and Living Beyond Breast Cancer is here for you with information about emotional support, opportunities to connect with others, and more.

If you feel overwhelmed by an ongoing sense of sadness or restlessness, then you could be experiencing depression, anxiety, or both. There are many things you can do to get relief. Visit the depression and anxiety pages to learn more.

Consider talking with a mental health professional if anxiety, depression, or other difficult feelings are interfering with your daily life. A professional can provide important support and skills for navigating intense emotions, changing negative thought patterns, improving relationships, and getting relief. When talking with a potential therapist, ask if they have experience working with people in your situation.

Anxiety and depression can also be side effects of some breast cancer treatments, so talk with your care team about nervousness or sadness that doesn’t go away.

Breast cancer support groups provide opportunities to meet others living with a similar diagnosis. Support groups are available in-person or online. Learn how to find a support group.

LBBC offers additional ways to find support and connection through online and in-person events, including our annual Thriving Together Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer. Visit our Events page to see what’s coming up.

Self-care is another way to relieve stress. Self-care means actions you can take to support yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. This can include:

• Positive connections with others
• Exercise
• Spirituality
• Complementary therapies such as mindfulness, yoga, relaxation techniques, and creative arts
• Pets
• The basics: eating well, getting enough sleep, and talking with at least one person every day

Visit Methods of self-care to learn more.