Avoid The "Have Tos" And "Need Tos"

I just came back from seeing my psychologist at the Cancer Institute. She had an emergency so my appointment ended up longer than first anticipated. I was more than willing to wait or come back because I knew that if I went in with an emergency, she would place everything else on hold. That made me feel good.

So when I first discussed my feelings of being overwhelmed earlier in the week, I said I would ask my psychologist how to handle a couple of situations:

What should I do when I'm feeling overwhelmed?

• The answer to that question is to try and prevent getting to that stage. The chemo drugs and steroids cause mood swings. For me, I get a bit high on steroids and then the lows hit real hard. We talked a bit about meds and I will follow up with my oncologist about that. I'll let you know what she recommends.

What do I tell people without offending them that large gatherings and too much excitement are too much for me?

• The psychologist says to avoid the "have tos" and "need tos". What she means by that, is that don't do something just because you feel you need to but instead listen to your body and mind and do what feels right for you. I am in a situation where, if I don't want to do something, I don't need to give a reason. I think a lot of comments echoed this same thing.
  

I wanted to say I was thrilled to read every one's comments. Everyone has so many valid points and I appreciate each and every one of them.

I look forward to visiting everyone's blog.