Thought for the Day: Talking about it

Filed under: Thought for the Day

This week was my turn to cover our Survivor Spotlight feature. I perhaps naively thought that I would have no trouble finding a survivor to talk to because there are so many survivors out there and it seemed that most of them were more than happy to tell their story in the hopes of helping others. But many of the women did not feel comfortable talking about it -- mainly because they didn't want to dredge up the past, to think about a time in their life that was difficult and trying, especially with a stranger. Their hesitance is understandable, but also came as a surprise to me because I assumed that most people who had bravely stared death in the face and won would make it their mission to inspire others.

I'm not a chatty person. I'm somewhat shy and reserved in person, but when it comes to the most difficult periods in my life, I'm more than willing to talk about them, to reach out to someone and share my story. That's because I know that when I was at my darkest moment, what lifted me out was stories of other people who had gone through the same and come out alive. Two years ago, I couldn't mention the word cancer without breaking down in tears and today, though cancer is always a difficult subject to talk about, I can talk about it, and I do -- all the time.

Talking helps. You don't need to share your innermost feelings on the Internet for all to read and judge, but talking to your family, your friends, a support group or a therapist will ease the burden. I am 100% sure of that. For some resources on talking about cancer, click here.

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[Source: The Cancer Blog]