Strength in Numbers

For the past 5 weeks I have been participating in a group therapy session for G.I. cancer patients. The session focused on managing the stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis and the ensuing treatment. It was facilitated a couple of great counsellors from the department of psychosocial resources at the Tom Baker Cancer centre. Our group consisted of 7 individuals who met once a week (this past week was our last session). Each session focused on a specific topic (anger management, meditation, coping strategies etc.) with ample time for discussion and sharing individual stories.

The group functioned really well both for the structured and unstructured discussions. I was the youngest participant and the only one who hadn't yet undergone surgery and extensive treatment. This meant that I picked up lots of tips and tricks form the other more seasoned participants. I even met a woman who had the same surgeon as me (Dr Buie). She had a very positive surgery experience and had nothing but good things to say about him. That gave me a lot of confidence given what is in store for me in the new year.

One of the most interesting parts of the group discussion was to see how different people react in the same situation. It made me realize that what I THINK my reaction is to a certain situation can be different than what my REAL reaction is to a certain situation. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I see myself as a pretty laid back guy but in reality that is not always the case (I get stressed like anyone else). One of the key skills we learned to deal with this stress, is to break the stressful situation down into the controllable and uncontrollable aspects. This allows you to focus your efforts and concern on the things that you have a say in and prevents or minimises the limitless worry one can feel when considering the uncontrollable aspects.

I hope nobody else ever has to get a cancer diagnosis but if it does come to pass for you, don't hesitate to talk with a person or group of people who are in the same situation. There is definitely strength in numbers.