Going through any form of cancer treatment can be a difficult and traumatic experience, and it’s bound to have an impact on your life afterwards. While coming to the end of treatment is likely to be met with feelings of relief and hope, adjusting back into normal life can take some time. It’s understandable to feel slightly uncertain and vulnerable after recovering from chemotherapy, but a loss of confidence is perfectly normal and you should try and take comfort in the fact you won’t be the only person feeling like this.

To help you on your way to feeling like your former self and getting your life back on track, we’ve compiled some top tips and advice to regaining self-confidence and getting the support you may need.

Tips For Gaining Confidence:

Set manageable goals

Recovery from cancer treatment is a long process, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t bounce back to your old self straight away. These things take time, so try and set yourself manageable goals and take each day a step at a time.
Your confidence and strength will likely have taken a big knock after chemotherapy, so gradually ease yourself back into the activities you did before. Perhaps arrange to meet up with a friend once or twice every week to involve yourself back into social life once again. As you achieve each of your goals, your confidence will start to grow and it will give you a little something to celebrate every day.

Lean on support groups

Sometimes we can all be a little too proud to accept help, but leaning on others for support is both brave and rewarding.
Support groups offer a great opportunity to meet other people who have gone through a similar situation to you, which can be a comfort as they will understand your experience and may be able to offer help and advice on how to cope with recovery.
You may find you make some amazing connections and it will give you the confidence knowing you have a great support system behind you to guide you through challenging days.

Don’t be afraid to talk

It’s natural to feel both anger and sadness after chemotherapy following all of the stress of treatment and the effect it might have had on both your professional and personal life, but keeping all of these emotions bottled up can have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing.
While you shouldn’t feel guilty about the emotions you are experiencing, you may find talking about your frustrations and concerns with somebody helpful in addressing these.
There are many community support groups and online forums that offer a safe space for you to talk, or alternatively, you might find it helpful to chat with a close family member or counsellor for support.

Stay active

Many cancer survivors experience feelings of loneliness and isolation after treatment, so it’s a good idea to try and keep yourself active as much as you can to overcome this.
While regaining your strength may take some time, moderate exercise, such as walking or swimming, will not only help restore your physical health, but it can be a great pain and stress reliever.
Invite a friend along for company to give you that motivation and support, and even if you only pop out for a coffee, getting out and about will do you the world of good.

Reward yourself

Recovering from something as traumatic as chemotherapy will take time, so it’s important to reward yourself throughout the journey to keep your spirits up and remind yourself how far you’ve come.
Revisit some of your favourite former pastimes, like taking a trip to the cinema or theatre, as a special treat, treat yourself to a new-look makeover or pampering session, or plan daily outings or a holiday to give yourself something exciting to look forward to.
It will help to keep you going on those days when you might be feeling low, as well as bringing back that much needed element of fun back into your life.