How to Help Your Mental Health While Living with Prostate Cancer

Between 30% and 50% of all people with prostate cancer report serious changes to their mental health after diagnosis.

Common mental health symptoms include: 

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress 

Use our 12 tips to stay on top of your mental health while adjusting to life with prostate cancer. 

You’ll feel less overwhelmed once you completely understand your diagnosis and treatment plan. 

Don’t hesitate to ask questions at every doctor’s appointment. 

Let your primary caregiver sit in on all of your doctor’s appointments. It’ll help take away some of your stress about needing to remember and understand all the details. 

Just ask for your nurse or doctor’s permission for them to come into the exam room too.

Sometimes it's easier to talk about your feelings with someone you don’t know. 

You can even find a counselor who specializes in helping people with cancer.

Get your blood pumping at least a couple of times a week. It’ll relieve tension and help clear your mind. 

Strength training, in particular, can both help your mental health and improve your response to your treatments, which can be physically exhausting.

Meditation helps you slow down and observe your thoughts. It’s a good way to understand your present emotional state. 

There are many different kinds, so try out techniques until you find the one that’s right for you. 

Hanging out with friends can help you maintain a sense of normalcy in your life. It’s also nice to interact with people who aren’t your primary caregiver. 

Encourage them to distract you with talk of their own lives and your shared interests. 

Talking to other people with your same diagnosis — either in support groups or one-on-one — is a great way to process the complex emotions involved in your diagnosis. 

This is also a great way to learn about new coping and lifestyle tips. You can even help others with tips you’ve figured out on your own.   

Of course, not everyone enjoys sharing their emotions verbally — or with other people at all. In this case, you can benefit from expressing yourself in writing.

Try journaling about your feelings, fears, and even the day-to-day aspects of your treatment. 

Common symptoms of depression include: 

• Losing interest in enjoyable activities
• Distancing yourself from family 
• Feeling hopeless
• Problems with concentration and memory 

If you find yourself frequently experiencing symptoms of depression, talk to your doctor about trying an antidepressant. Your treatment team will need to choose one that’s compatible with your prostate cancer medications. 

Anxiety, depression, and even aspects of your treatment might make it difficult to fall asleep. Unfortunately, poor sleep only increases people’s irritability, anger, and frustration. 

To help you relax before bed, try techniques like:

• Breathing exercises
• Listening to music and audiobooks
• Avoiding all screens before laying down
• Sticking to a steady sleep schedule

A diagnosis of prostate cancer can make you feel as though you’ve lost control of your life. 

To keep these realities from getting you down, focus on what you can control instead of what you can’t. For example, stick to a routine that you’ve chosen. 

Around one-third of prostate cancer survivors report mental health symptoms even after they’ve completed treatment. 

For the best results, practice all of your mental health techniques as you continue your post-treatment recovery process.