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So much uncertainty: How do you manage it?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 8 7:11am | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
For me, it's the uncertainty and the constant "what if" questions that I continue to face after my prostatectomy last September for T3b prostate cancer. I've come to realize that worrying about the future robs us of the opportunity to fully enjoy the present.
I'm trying my best to apply some of the lessons I've learned from Dr. Laurie Santos, the Yale psychologist and cognitive scientist whose podcasts focus on happiness and resilience. A few of her teachings that resonate with me are:
* About 80% of the things we worry about never actually happen.
* Of the 20% that do happen, we usually cope with them much better than we imagine.
* When faced with challenges, instead of asking "Why did this happen?", ask "How can I deal with it?"
I'm still a work in progress, but I find these reminders helpful whenever my mind starts drifting toward uncertainty.
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@soli Its true our bodies and mind are a complicated ever changing network. We do seem to adjust and re-think the process and keep moving on. Things at work, things with your family, health, daily stresses. Yet we add those to the mix and move on. I always look at the next person and go man how can they endure one thing after another. Then feel I can do this. I like the saying from Mark Twain. "I know worrying must help because none of it ever comes true. "