If you’ve gotten a cancer diagnosis, there’s probably a lot on your mind. Countless doctor visits, treatment, the well-being of your family, as well as finding support for yourself. It’s a lot to think about which means that it can be incredibly easy to feel overwhelmed. Finding the right cancer support groups online might feel like it’s something of little consequence when compared to all of the other things that you have on your mind, but it’s still very important. Getting the support you need can give you a much-needed boost in morale while you’re fighting cancer.
But where does one even start when they search for cancer support groups? Even that thought can feel overwhelming when your plate is already so full. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available for cancer patients both online and offline that you can use to help you find the right groups. There are a lot of things to keep in mind when you’re doing your search if you want to find the perfect group for you, but that’s ok. We can just take things one step at a time so you can make sure you’re in the best place to find support for yourself.
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Think Long and Hard About What Kind of Support Would Best Suit You
Like with a lot of things in life, you have many choices when it comes to cancer support groups. Your journey to recovery is a highly personal one, so it’s good to ask yourself a few questions before you proceed into actually locating the right groups. Without doing this first you run the risk of ending up in a support group that isn’t suited to your needs and that can leave you feeling frustrated at best, which is kind of counter-productive.
With that in mind, what kind of support do you need most? Are you the type that likes to sit in a group setting and talk about your feelings while trying to work through them with like-minded people? If so, there are plenty of groups that will work out perfectly for you because they do just that. Many people do find comfort in discussing their emotional troubles with groups of people that are going through or have gone through the same thing that they are. It can inspire great feelings of hope, but for other people, this same format could leave them feeling frustrated.
If you’re more of a logistics-type person, you may benefit from groups that are designed to help you get your affairs in order if the worst happens. These groups are in a similar format, but instead of talking about emotions, they’re talking about more tangible issues. How will their families keep afloat, who’s gonna take care of their medical bills, etc? These meetings are also full of people that are going through similar things, so it can also be a great chance to bond with other people that are facing the same concerns as you.
Finally, if a group setting isn’t right for you it may be best to look into a one-on-one therapist. Therapy may still have a bit of a stigma around it, but therapists are actually approached to help people with all sorts of issues. The average therapist will deal with someone who can’t get over their dog dying and someone who has complex trauma that they’re working through on the same day, so no issue is too big or small for a therapist. If you need support but you can’t wrap your head around being in a group setting for it, this could very well be the option for you.
What Kind of Setting Would You Prefer?
As with the types of support groups, the settings can vary as well. That means that more people will be able to get the support they need in the way that they need it, which is fantastic news for cancer patients. Many of the people that put these groups together realize that cancer patients are just people, and because of that they are all unique and have different needs and different thresholds for face-to-face social interaction. That’s great news for anyone that’s trying to make sure that they can have their specific needs met.
Of course, there are in-person meetings. These are probably the most commonly known type of meeting simply because they’re been around the longest. The exact setup of any meeting will vary. Some meetings provide refreshments, others don’t. Some meetings are free while others you’ll either need to pay for or find out if your insurance will cover. You have a lot of options for locations for this one, as well as the frequency that the meetings will happen. We’ll delve a bit more into that in just a moment.
There are also options for people that would prefer not to go out in public for any given reason, whether that’s just because they’re more reserved, they’re feeling self-conscious about their appearance, or they’re just feeling tired. This option is fully online meetings. These can take a few forms. Some online cancer support groups are group video calls, others are group voice calls, and there are even some that are fully text-based. These meetings are a little less well-known simply because they’re newer. The technology to make these online meetings possible hasn’t been around for as long, and remote meetings become a lot more normal because of COVID.
Once you know if you’d prefer to go to meetings in person or if you’d rather meet online, it’s time to start thinking about how frequently you want to go to meetings. This is especially important if you intend to go to multiple groups. To get this information, you’ll likely need to speak with the organizer of the meeting but that won’t be difficult. Organizers are happy to share information about their meetings with potential attendees because they also want to make sure that everyone gets into the best group for them.
Meetings can meet at varying frequencies. Some meetings meet multiple times a week, and others meet up maybe once a month. How often are you willing to commit to meeting up with your groups? Most groups don’t have an issue with members missing meetings here and there, but if you want to get as much as possible out of your support group you’re going to want to be in as many meetings as possible. It helps strengthen the bond of the group, which can lead to higher morale for everyone involved. People that have already won their fights against cancer also often attend these groups, so if you want to do that you should also keep in mind what frequency will work best once you’ve recovered.
Finding the Perfect Group: A Quick How-To
Now we get to the slightly trickier part of this process, but don’t worry. Just because this part is a little trickier doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily difficult. In fact, it’s pretty simple to do and there’s a good chance that your caretaker would be happy to help you out if you have any trouble with it. Finding a support group as a cancer patient is a simple enough process by design because everyone deserves support.
Many people will simply ask their doctor or hospital about any local support groups. This method can be incredibly effective. In most cases when you ask they’ll simply give you a printout that contains a list of local groups that you can attend. If you have any questions about the groups you’ll still need to contact the organizers, but that’s never too difficult. Most organizers can be reached by phone or email and are happy to answer questions for you so you can be sure if their group is a good fit for you.
There are also many websites dedicated to helping people find support groups for their conditions. All you’d need to do is search for your condition and you’ll be presented with a list. The list you get from a website and the list that you get from your doctor can vary a bit, but more than likely there will be at least a little overlap between the two lists. Some websites even allow you to filter your search by what type of group you want to be in and if it’s in person or remote, making it even easier to find the perfect place for you.
Don’t Let Finding a Cancer Support Group be a Chore
One of the biggest reasons why patients that want to go to support groups don’t is because of the perceived difficulty of finding a good one. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier than it seems to find a stellar support group where you can really thrive. No matter the type of person you are or what you need out of a group, there’s one out there that’s tailor-made for you. Whether you use the internet or just find a group off the list from your doctor you’re sure to find a group that will help.
***On the Aepios platform, members gain support from peers nationwide by sharing valuable real-world experiences, treatments, and outcomes for an expanding number of medical conditions.***
