The heart section is your space to explore your feelings and emotions.
This was - and can still be - a pretty uncomfortable topic for me.
When it comes to emotions, I tend to bottle things up and let the pressure build until things get to the point that I can’t hold it in any more and things start to come apart. I let things eat at me. I ruminate. I find ways to distract myself -- or at least attempt to distract myself - rather than facing my feelings head-on.
One of my biggest regrets, in terms of how I coped with cancer, was my reluctance to talk to a therapist. I waited too long, and when I finally did, I instantly felt stupid for not having done it sooner.
Your mind can go to some pretty dark places, and for me it made a big difference having someone I could talk to, who was empathetic and non-judgmental.
I’m not going to tell you what to do, but if you’re like me, and you’re resisting the idea of talking to a professional counselor or therapist, just know that for me it was a huge help.
Another big thing for me, and maybe something to think about in this quadrant, is how your illness or adversity affects the people you love the most.
Your team can help shoulder the burden, but all that emotional weight can take a toll, especially on your inner circle. Emotions that you’re experiencing yourself are going to be affecting the people around you too, and this can be some heavy stuff:
Sadness
Anxiety
Anger
Depression
Hopelessness
Body image and intimacy issues
It’s a lot to deal with.
There are some great resources online that can help you work through the ways your situation impacts your social and intimate relationships. And of course, professionals can help you work through these issues too.
One final thought here in the heart quadrant would be to think about peer-support groups. For me it was really beneficial to connect with someone who had faced a life threatening cancer diagnosis just like me, and lived to tell about it.
No matter what kind of adversity you’re facing, chances are pretty good that someone has been in your shoes and lived to tell about it. Or is currently going through the exact same experience that you are.
Don’t bottle it up. Use your CareCanvas to take an honest look at your emotional burden, and create some positive channels to cope with the weight of your situation.