Writing a diary to support cancer sufferers

 The diagnosis of a circle is difficult for many sufferers to cope with. In this situation, it is often not easy to deal with worries and fears and to talk about them with family and friends. Bringing family members on board, even though you actually want to protect them and carefully familiarize them with the disease, can be an additional burden.

However, sharing your worries with someone close to you promises relief in the end. Dealing with emotions and insecurities all on your own is not a solution. Some doctors and cancer patients therefore recommend writing down your feelings in a diary. Find out here how this can help and how you can start right away.

Motivation: Why should you keep a diary after a cancer diagnosis?

Putting traumatic experiences on paper can help to understand them better. The father of diary research, James Pennebaker, professor of psychology at the University of Texas (USA), is an advocate of this approach. In the 1980s, he developed what is known as "expressive writing".

This involves writing about a stressful event for at least 15 minutes on around three to four consecutive days. Studies have shown that this simple exercise can improve physical health and work performance.

Professor Beth Baugmann DuPree, a practicing breast cancer surgeon and lecturer in surgery at the University of Pennsylvania (USA), is also convinced of the positive effects of writing in dealing with traumatic events and recommends that her breast cancer patients keep a cancer diary:

“Writing down one’s own feelings helps patients reduce stress, set goals for themselves and can give life a new perspective.” Professor Beth Baughman DuPree, Pennsylvania (USA).

Although not many studies have examined the effects of writing on cancer patients, results so far suggest that regularly “writing out” emotions could reduce both negative physical symptoms and the number of cancer-related doctor visits.

It is therefore worth taking a closer look at the effect of writing. 

How can journaling help cancer patients?

Writing a diary can benefit you as a patient in several ways:

• Better understand stressful situations: Writing down your feelings and thoughts can help you remember how you felt in that difficult moment. This gives you an opportunity to visualize the event itself and gain a clearer understanding of your emotional reaction. This, in turn, can help you approach similar situations in the future with more confidence.
• Find solutions more easily: Once your thoughts are sorted, problems tend to seem less overwhelming. Decisions can be made more easily.
• Give feelings space: If you suppress unpleasant feelings, you often give them even more power and energy. Anger and frustration can then become difficult to deal with, which can have a negative effect on the body's immune system. It is particularly important to take good care of your body and mind during a cancer illness. Writing a diary offers the opportunity to accept reality with all its beautiful, but also challenging aspects.
• Strengthen self-reflection: Talking about stress can help you face the reality of your problems and remain honest and truthful to yourself. This can strengthen your focus on your own self and self-reflection.

Which type of diary for cancer patients?

Not all diaries are the same. There are different ways to record your thoughts every day. ⁷ Decide for yourself which one is the most suitable for dealing with your cancer:

• The diary in the classic sense: It is usually a notebook preferably chosen in your favorite design, in which you let your thoughts run free, ideally every day.
• The gratitude diary: Here the user writes everything he is grateful for. This draws attention to the small, valuable things in life and can improve focus and mood. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude and recording experiences for which one is grateful can improve one's well-being. A cancer diary like this helps some sufferers to gain courage after a diagnosis.
• The calendar diary: Your own calendar can easily be converted into a diary, provided it offers enough space for notes. Due to the predefined structure, this format is particularly suitable for inexperienced diary writers.
• The food or pain diary: With a food diary, cancer patients can find out, among other things, which foods stimulate their appetite. In this type of diary, you write down everything you have eaten and drunk, at what time of day and whether these foods were well tolerated or caused discomfort. The pain diary enables cancer patients and their doctor to assess the progress and success of pain treatment. Whether it is medication intake, the intensity of pain or general well-being - filled out daily, it can help to bring clarity and possibly improve treatment.
• The digital diary: If you prefer to write with a keyboard, you can of course also keep your diary on your PC, tablet or mobile phone. The advantages of this format are that you can always access your smartphone when you feel the need to write something down, and your experiences can be written down quickly.

How to start writing a cancer diary

It is not always easy to start something new, but that does not have to apply to writing a diary. By choosing the right format for you and the right attitude to writing, you can try out whether you like writing a diary. The important thing is: just start.

Find a quiet place and take at least 15 minutes to listen to your thoughts and feelings. Write in the way that makes you feel comfortable, without interruption. There are no rules. Spelling, grammar or style are not a priority.

For example, write about moments of happiness or beautiful experiences, but also make room for anger, sadness and emotions. Write down ideas or people who inspire or move you. Put your heart's desires and dreams on paper. Do you have a specific goal in relation to your health?

Writing it down can help you to become aware of the goal and stick to it. Do you feel courageous after talking to a friend or reading a great text? Write that down in your cancer diary too. Of course, you can also add inspiring quotes, pictures and mementos to your diary.

Tips for lacking inspiration

If you find it harder to get started with writing than you thought, here are a few tips for you:

• Make it clear to yourself why you want to write a diary. On this basis, you can create specific subject areas. These could be: future plans; things you want to tackle when you are healthy again; your daily moments of happiness; activities that increase your well-being, etc. You can put the list of topics in your diary and use them when you have writer's block.
• Ask yourself: How am I feeling right now? Write in your diary why you are feeling good or bad and how you came to be that way.
• Have you experienced something very painful? Does writing about it hurt too much? Try writing from the perspective of a third person. The third person brings the necessary distance and also strengthens the inner observer in you.
• Predefined diary templates to fill out can also be useful when you have writer's block.
• Establish a fixed writing ritual:
• Let your thoughts run free with a cup of coffee or tea and turn on your favorite music.
• Find a fixed time to write in your diary and integrate the ritual into your daily routine. The morning is usually a good time to make plans or set goals. The evening is a good time to review your day and record memories.

Be aware that you are only writing for yourself and that no one else will look at your diary. Writing should help you deal with your cancer diagnosis and support you on your journey. This advice often takes the pressure off and gives you access to your own feelings.

Cancer diary results: achieving set goals and gaining courage

Writing has now become an integral part of your life and the pages in your diary are filling up? Then make a conscious effort to take the time to read back all the thoughts and memories that you have entrusted to your faithful companion.

When you browse through lines you have written previously, you can often see how far you have come and how your well-being may have improved. The diary allows you to make a direct comparison: How did you feel a month ago and how do you feel now?

If you have set yourself personal goals, you can find out to what extent you have already achieved them by reading back. You can draw courage from every little bit of progress. Thanks to your diary, you always have the perspective in front of you.

Talk to your loved ones about your cancer

It is important that you do not use the letter as an excuse to not to take matters into your own hands. It should only be used as a tool to better understand yourself and achieve your goals. Once you are more clear about how you are feeling, you will be better able to communicate with your family and friends and express concrete wishes.

Because if you try to deal with the diagnosis alone, without talking to anyone about it, it will be difficult for your family and friends to know how to support you. Ultimately, you can decide what you want to reveal and to whom.

Cancer is a very individual experience and everyone has to find their own way of dealing with it. Writing a diary may be a support for many, but for others it is not the right thing. Find out for yourself whether you can draw strength and energy from it or not.