From one parent to another: Top tips for parents/carers of a child with cancer to help improve emotional wellbeing

When Rob and Michelle’s daughter Venus was diagnosed with cancer, it had a huge impact on their mental health. Rob said that the positive energy in their house was slowly fading away.

Over time, Rob found a few things that helped him improve his emotional wellbeing during Venus’ treatment.

Now, Rob would like to share his top tips with any other parents and carers of children with cancer who might need it:

• Try and get some time for yourself throughout the day. Go for a short 15-20 min walk, listen to music, even sit in a park and look at nature for 15-20mins. This will allow you to just remove yourself physically from the situation and have a small reset to stop things becoming too overwhelming.
• Do not blame yourself for anything that is going on around you. This can put you in, and keep you in a negative cycle.
• Make sure you are speaking about your anxieties and worries to a Young Lives vs Cancer social worker. This will allow them to be out in the open and not locked up in your head.
• Do remember all of the good times that you and your family have had.
• Make sure you get a good rest at night. If this is not possible, do try to grab some rest or sleep through periods of the day