You have just received the diagnosis from your doctor.  You may feel as though you have been run over by a Mack truck. You have been stopped cold in your tracks. You have no idea what is happening, what you are doing, and where you are going. Fear rises up in your throat and you can barely speak. You may feel lost and alone. 

Fear does not have to be a constant companion in this new reality you are now facing. You do not have to be alone. You can learn to manage your fear.  The following are exercises which may be helpful.  

Validate Your Fear: Give your fear some space with focused attention. Do not suppress it. Give it a voice, let it get as big as it needs it to be.

Sit quietly with your fear and allow the storm to rage. Absorb the fear and visualize it passing through you. Notice it is not swallowing you whole. Fear that is resisted will persist. You will eventually begin to feel it fading. 

Simple Meditation Exercise: Find a quiet place. Get comfortable and center yourself. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. This is called circle breathing. Focus on your breath. Start with 10 minutes and then increase over time. I suggest you make this a daily practice with the goal of 30 minutes daily.

Call a Friend: You do not have to be alone. Your friends and family will love and support you.

Start a Journal. Start a free-write journal.  Write down whatever flows through your thoughts without judgement.  Write and write until you know you are done.  Your journal will provide a marker post for you on this journey. You will gain  perspective in the future as you look back on where you started and how far you have come. 

Create a mantra:  

Speak it. Hear it. See it. Be it. 

Here are a few suggestions or create your own. 

• I am not my fear, I am strong and courageous. 

• Everyone I need is right here, right now.

• Everything I need is right here, right now.

• I am home, there is no place else to go.