• Info
    • About
    • Advertisers
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • eMagazines
    • 2023 editions
    • 2022 editions
    • 2021 editions
    • Special Editions
  • Pay My Bill
  • News
  • Features

    Features

    See All

    Is it time for a scope of practice revamp?

    Taking the pressure off wounds – new guidance for health practitioners

    Losing doctors to burnout – how to solve an ongoing problem

    Meet Dr Brigid Corrigan – plastic surgeon who loves her hands on job

  • Clinicals

    Clinicals

    See All

    The shoulder – complex joints made easy

    Emotional dysregulation and adult ADHD

    Mapping the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation

    Management of abdominal vascular compression syndromes

  • Guest Columns

    Guest Columns

    See All

    The role of allied health professionals in dementia care

    Autism research: what we know and what needs to be learned

    Understanding sequencing risk: a crucial factor in retirement planning

    Tackling vaccine hesitancy – what can GPs do?

  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All

    Suspended in art – the story Stelarc

    Belle of the ball – meet the Perth actor playing a Disney princess

    It’s all about the chemistry – meet Optus Stadium’s executive chef

    The politics of comedy – He Huang at Perth Comedy Festival

  • Podcast
  • Jobs & Listings
    • Jobs
    • Clinical Services Directory
    • Classifieds
  • Competitions
  • Pay My Bill

When life is not very ho, ho, ho

Medical Forum·December 15, 2022
Medical Forum Weekly
·2 mins read

It is the time of the year when most people are enjoying a break and catching up with family and friends, but for people with cancer it can feel anything but festive.


For some, there is no respite from their treatment over the holidays, nor for the clinicians caring for them, so Cancer Council WA has developed a simple guide for patients and health professionals about how to cope with cancer.

It says feelings of loneliness, isolation and sadness are common, and traditions over the holiday period can be painful reminders of how different life has become.

To help, CCWA has put together these tips:

Be flexible

It is important to be flexible about the way you celebrate the festive season as it can create stress for yourself and others by trying to maintain traditions that aren’t practical during this time of your life. Let go of trying to have the perfect holiday season.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Don’t have the stamina to do all the shopping? Try asking someone to do it for you or shop online. Consider buying your groceries online and have them delivered.

Don’t bottle things up

Tell your loved ones how you are feeling rather than pretending to be strong. That way they can show their support by caring and assisting. This will help you all feel closer during this special time of year.

Be kind and gentle

If this is your first festive season without a loved one it can be very difficult. The first year after a loved one passing away is very difficult as you are faced with many significant events without them for the first time. Be kind and gentle with yourself and share with others about how you are feeling.

Avoid things that add stress

The holiday season is often a stressful time especially if you or a loved one is living with cancer. Give yourself and your loved ones permission to get through this time of year the best way you can.

Plan ahead

Good planning can help reduce anxiety. Plan ahead and know who to contact if you have a problem. Make sure you have enough prescription medicine for this time.

Practice self-care

This festive season does not signify how the rest of your holiday seasons will be. Practice self-care and recognise this is just how things are at this time.

What support is available?

One of the most important things to remember is that you don’t have to go through it alone.

Cancer Council WA says talking to someone about what you’re feeling can really help, and family and friends are a great source of support and can be very understanding.

But people can also speak to CCWA’s specially trained staff on 13 11 20 Information and Support Line which lists the times the service will be available over Christmas and New Year.

Share Tweet Share Email

cancerCancer Council WAcopeFamilyhealth Professionalsisolationsadness


READ NOW
SUBSCRIBE

CURRENT ISSUES

PREVIOUS ISSUES
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • Special Editions


FEATURED JOBS

Beckenham Medical Centre – Beckenham – General Practitioner

Cosmetic GP – Metro
Beckenham
More Details

State of the art skin clinic seeking VR GP

VR GP
Hillarys
More Details

Swan View Family Practice – Eastern Perth Metro

GP Placements – Metro
Eastern Perth
More Details

Hatherley Medical Centre – Full-Time General Practitioner

GP
Winthrop
More Details

Balcatta – General Practitioner (Full-time or Part-time)

GP
Balcatta
More Details

Luma – Joondalup & Northbridge – General Practitioner

GP
Joondalup
More Details

VIEW JOBS

ABOUT


  • Contact
  • About
  • Advertisers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe for free
  • Pay My Bill

QUICK LINKS


  • Digital Magazine
  • Weekly Forum
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • Competitions
  • Media Kit

SOCIALS


  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
Published by Medical Forum Magazine | © Copyright 2025 Med Forum Pty Ltd | All rights reserved
  • Weekly Forum
  • eMagazines
    • eMagazines: 2025 editions
    • eMagazines: 2024 editions
    • eMagazines: 2023 editions
    • eMagazines: 2022 editions
    • 2021 editions
    • Special Editions
  • News
  • Features
  • Clinicals
  • Guest Columns
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcast
  • Jobs & Listings
    • Jobs
    • Clinical Services Directory
    • Classifieds
  • Competitions
  • Pay My Bill
  • About
    • Contact
    • About
    • Advertisers
    • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe for free
Type to search or hit ESC to close
See all results
Medical Forum uses cookies to improve your experience. For more information, click on cookie settings. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT