Using Hobbies to Cope With Cancer

Reading, writing, art, music... CURE recently asked its social media audience to share the creative outlets and activities that have helped them on their cancer journey. Here are some of their responses — in the hopes of helping others find a new hobby of their own.

• Music: playing guitar, hammered dulcimer, and home recording of music. I can get lost for almost an entire day in music and forget about my (neuroendocrine tumor) cancer for a while. - JW
• I love fishing! Well... I love catching... My time on the water is my anti-cancer, anti-work space. - BC
• Cooking healthy, swimming, cycling, being outside and always setting tangible goals. In year five of stage 4 breast cancer so something has got to be working, right?! - CS
• As soon as I could, I went back to being a working ranch wife and we're going to get foster kids. - LD
• Gardening, painting and photography. - AD
• I created my blog where I share my experiences with dealing with stage 4 cancer and some of my passions for beauty and fashion. — JTY
• Art. Doing some everyday has been helping me. I’ve done more art since my diagnosis than ever before. — YP
• One of my daughters got me several adult coloring books with nature scenes and designs and even a 'swear word' one (for those days when you just have to vent! I take them to chemo with me along with the colored pencils she also got me. I find it is so relaxing coloring that I often completely detach from the entire cancer ball of wax! - AM
• Writing, photography and learning how to use watercolors and acrylics to distract me when scanxiety hits. — JA
• Knitting and crocheting. — AH
• Writing a blog! I never in a million years thought I could write something that someone else would a) WANT to read and b) benefit from! But it has been SO therapeutic for me. And now, I can safely say that the nuns were wrong... I CAN write! - BA
• Photography and writing mostly. Trying pastels and sketching. Doing a writing workshop as well. I will be very tired but hopefully it helps my post-treatment chemo brain. — JS
• Music, quilting, writing. — LS
• Volunteering at an animal shelter and fostering young kittens. - SD
• Writing poetry. — DB
• I was attending college when diagnosed with cancer. College classes were instrumental in keeping my mind busy during treatment. I would definitely encourage a form of education to help those fighting cancer because it also assists in giving us hope for future endeavors. — AS
• I create through several mediums. Sewing, normally without patterns, acrylics, wood, gems, anything. I also spend time with my daughters and their puppies, help my daughter with a pug rescue organization, visit and share my experiences. And I bake for others. - MH