How To Manage Fear and Anxiety, Naturally.
Cancer—and everything that comes with it, from treatments to the uncertainty of what lies ahead—instills fear in just about everyone who receives a diagnosis. This is especially true once treatments are over and it’s time to resume the “normal” flow of life.
Fear isn’t inherently bad. It can protect us, helping us avoid danger or make safer choices. But when fear goes unacknowledged, it quietly runs our lives. In other words: what you don’t feel, runs you. Left unchecked, fear can cloud your thinking, influence your decisions, and prevent you from living fully.
The good news? When we face fear directly, we reclaim control. We return to the driver’s seat of our life and send a clear message to our subconscious: we’ve noticed the “warning light,” and we’re handling it.
Here’s a simple formula to manage fear in a positive, empowering way:
LEAN INTO FEAR: Face Everything And Rise
1. Acknowledge
The first step is simply to notice fear when it shows up. Trying to suppress it or run from it only makes it stronger. Fear gains power when it’s hidden. To become fearless, you must first welcome it in.
2. Observe
Without judgment or attempts to change it, witness the stories your mind tells when you feel anxious or scared. Remember: you are not your thoughts, nor are you the story itself. You are the awareness observing the story.
3. Connect
Once you’ve acknowledged fear, lean into it. Your body is the expression of your subconscious, and sensations are its language. Take a deep breath and check in with your body: where do you feel fear most strongly? What qualities does it have—tightness, heaviness, heat?
4. Be
Tell yourself: “For better or worse, this is how I’m feeling, and that’s okay. All emotions are valid.” Accept your feelings as they are, without judgment. When you sit with your emotions, their intensity naturally lessens over time.
Of course fear will likely continue to creep back in over time and try to take charge, and so when it does, take the time to once again repeat the process and sit with the discomfort until the emotional charge lessens or it dissipates.
Remind yourself that you’ve got this. You received the message, you’ve seen the warning, and you are now handling the issue. The more that you do this, the less power fear will have over you, which will benefit every aspect of your life.
Supporting Your Practice: Core Clearing Breathwork
Another powerful tool is Core Clearing Breathwork. This practice allows you to witness your story without attachment, gently releasing the fear and tension it creates. We don’t argue with the story—we observe it, unhook from it, and stop investing energy in it.
I use Core Clearing Breathwork with my clients to help them move past fear that’s holding them back, and to dissolve emotional wounds carried over from the past—wounds that can show up as illness, stress, or anxiety in the present.
Take the Next Step
If you want to go deeper, I teach these same principles—and many more tools for managing fear, stress, and emotional overwhelm—in my coaching programs, the HEAL! Inside + Out Framework as well as the Cancer Recovery Roadmap, my signature 1:1 coaching program. In this program, I guide women through a step-by-step process to reclaim control over their body, mind, and life after cancer, helping them reduce emotional charge, improve wellbeing, and move forward with confidence.
For more information and a free consultation on how I can support your journey back to health, please contact me here
