Coping with Cancer and Medical-Related Anxiety: 10 Grounding Practices That Can Help

Written by Skye Hayashi PMHNP-BC

La Lune’s Skye Hayashi, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner in Oregon who specializes in supporting individuals navigating the emotional and physical transitions of cancer survivorship, shares strategies for managing anxiety during different phases of medical treatment.

Life with cancer or ongoing medical concerns can feel like you’re in the eye of the storm.  There are multiple appointments to navigate – labs, imaging, follow-up doctor appointments, scans, and treatment days.  Not only are these appointments taxing on the body but they affect the mind.  Thoughts can spiral as the mind thinks about what-if scenarios and the future. 

Cancer and medical-related anxiety is real and it can manifest at any time; during treatments, before scans, in the doctors waiting room, or even months after treatments are completed.  

Sometimes it looks like worry, rumination, or feeling on edge. Other times, it shows up alongside other emotions, like sadness, anger, or grief — especially when so much is happening at once and you’re trying to process a lot of change. These feelings can overlap and build on each other, which is common during stressful medical experiences. 

Anxiety can also be connected to what the body is physically going through. Pain, nausea, fatigue, trouble sleeping, or appetite changes can make it more challenging to cope with stress than when we were feeling better. 

Even though these complex emotions are a normal part of processing each step, when they’re left unchecked, thought loops or worst-case-scenario thinking can create even more internal suffering. Anxiety can pull us so far into our fears that we lose touch with ourselves and what we need in the moment.

Sometimes we need a break. That’s when grounding exercises can help interrupt the cycle and bring you back to the present moment. We want to allow ourselves to feel natural human emotions, but also support ourselves so we don’t become completely overwhelmed by them.

Here are 10 practices that can help soothe the nervous system: 

1) Mindfulness and Body Scan Meditation 

Making space for a 5–10-minute mindfulness session and engaging in body scanning techniques.  Start by sitting in a comfortable position and scanning the body from your toes all the way up to the top of your head.  Feeling each sensation and allowing yourself to hear all that is around you without judgement.    

Finding your happy place can be a great visualization tool.  Start by visualizing a place that feels peaceful.  This may look like a warm beach or a wooded forest.  The idea is to find a place that brings you comfort and allow your mind to wander in that space.  

2) Breathwork to Calm the Nervous System 

Box breathing technique – (4-4-4-4) Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds.  This practice helps initiate the parasympathetic nervous system or the rest and digest system, leading to a sense of calmness.  

3) Connecting with Nature 

Spend 30 minutes outside with all your senses.  Allow yourself to fully immerse in nature and what surrounds you.  Listen to the wind blowing through the trees and physically touch the ground beneath you.  This can be a gentle reminder that the world around us is bigger than we fear.    

“We want to allow ourselves to feel natural human emotions, but also support ourselves so we don’t become completely overwhelmed by them.”

4) Creative Expression 

Art, music, dance, pottery, and writing are just a few examples of creative outlets to help process and regulate our emotions.  Sometimes we need a place to express what words can’t always capture.  

5) Positive Mantras & Compassionate Self-Talk 

Positive talk can be a great tool during high anxiety levels.  Saying positive phrases out loud can feel as though someone else is saying it to you.   

Try repeating these phrases: 

“I am safe” 

“I am proud of my body” 

“I can do hard things” 

Our thoughts can have a large impact on the way we behave.  By identifying negative thoughts and reframing them into positive thoughts, we have the ability to approach challenging situations with a different perspective.  

6) Support and Co-Regulation 

A cancer or medical diagnosis can be isolating, but that does not mean that you have to endure everything alone.  Finding a support group in your local area or online can offer understanding from those experiencing something similar.  

7) Gentle Movement 

When we feel anxious our body finds ways to store that tension.  This build up can settle anywhere in our bodies and can show up as muscle aches and pain.  One great gentle movement is yoga.  Yoga can be utilized for stretching and strengthening the muscles that may have weakened during treatment. Yoga and breathwork go hand-in-hand as they both help to regulate the nervous system (Prinster, 2014).   

8) Sensory Comfort Rituals 

Gathering sensory specific items such as soft blankets, weighted blankets, warm baths, or diffusing lavender scents can help to shift our nervous system.  Lavender is an evergreen plant that has been researched to have possible anti-anxiety properties (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025).  It can be used topically, ingested, or inhaled through aromatherapy (please check with your provider if this is safe for you to use).       

9) Connection Rituals 

Small rituals can help you feel connected.  This can look like creating a group chat with friends/family with encouraging quotes, having a weekly dinner with friends/family, or sending a daily text to a close friend.  

10) Mindful Avoidance of Alcohol 

Alcohol may seem like something to reach for during high anxiety, but it is often only temporary and usually leads to rebound anxiety, disrupted sleep, and mood swings.  Choosing alternatives such as mocktails or herbal teas (after checking in with your provider for interactions) can help the body stay regulated and balanced.  

Cancer and ongoing medical treatments can change the course of your life and feel logistically, emotionally, and physically heavy sometimes. These grounding practices can provide moments of calmness and connection even in the hardest of seasons.  Try one or two of these practices that feel right and easy to integrate into your routine.

References

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2025, February). Lavender. U.S Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health. Retrieved December 1, 2025 from, https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender   

Prinster, T. (2014). Yoga for Cancer: A guide to managing side effects, boosting immunity, and improving recovery for cancer survivors. Healing Arts Press.

Skye Hayashi is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner at La Lune Integrative Psychiatry and she is currently accepting new adult patients in Oregon. She provides compassionate, evidence-based therapy and medication management, and specializes in treating conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, insomnia, eating disorders, PTSD, and panic attacks. Skye has experience working with those who have been diagnosed with cancer and who have ongoing medical treatments.

We have board-certified providers in WA, OR, AZ, CO, and NH who are specialized in different therapeutic modalities such as guided mindfulness, CBT, CPT, DBT, and medication management. Here at La Lune Integrative Psychiatry, we prioritize a holistic approach to care. We dive deeper to understand the core cause of your struggles and provide an individualized approach. Fill out our 5-minute intake form below and we can match you with someone today.