Mental electric fence

After I completed my six rounds of chemotherapy, I faced the same mental battle that most cancer patients endure: fear of recurrence. In just a few months, I visited my primary care physician three times. Eventually, I adapted to my post-surgery body and could usually discern what felt normal and what was cause for concern. But the most important choice I made was to take control of my thoughts.

When What if it comes back? would begin to scroll through my mind, I would stop the thought, replacing it with That’s not what we believe. It was like putting an electric fence around the thoughts in my mind. If the thought was fearful or negative or replayed my first oncologist’s poorly-presented prognosis, I would zap it and replace it with a Bible verse like the promise God had give me in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” or another truth like God says I’m healed or I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy, the rest is up to God or What’s the worst thing that could happen: I die and go to heaven?

That doesn’t mean that I stuck my head in the sand and ignored physical issues that needed to be treated; it meant that I didn’t go down the rabbit hole of worry every time an unfamiliar pain appeared. Over time, three things happened: I got more adept at blocking my fears, I started believing God’s truth more, and more time passed between the mental assaults. How is your fear quotient today? What can you do to take control of your thoughts so they don’t take control of you?