Living with cancer can make you ask some pretty big questions, even if you’ve not really thought about them much before. If religion already plays a part in your life, you might find it’s a real source of comfort and support. Equally, you might find you start asking more questions about your faith and belief. Or if you’ve never been interested in religion and spirituality before, you might find yourself being drawn towards them for the first time. All of these situations are totally normal.
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You might want to try talking to a good listener to help you work through your thoughts and feelings. It’s pretty natural to have questions like ‘Why are we here?’ and ‘Why did this happen?’ in your head. Talking them through can really help.
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If you’re in hospital, you could ask whether there’s a spiritual care team or chaplain. They are there to offer sensitive, confidential and non-judgmental support to people of any faith and to people who don’t have any religious beliefs. You could use it as a chance to pray, to explore questions, to reflect on what’s happening to you or simply to chat.
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Most hospitals also have a multi-faith space where you can go for a little time out. They often have books to write your thoughts and prayers in, along with religious resources including holy books and prayer mats.