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LIVING WITH BREAST CANCER > Starting new relationships
STARTING NEW RELATIONSHIPS
If you are single, you may feel differently about dating or starting new relationships than you did before you had breast cancer.
For some people, going through cancer and cancer treatment leads to personal growth, a stronger sense of self and/or increased self-awareness. You may have a clearer idea of what you want in your life and your relationships.
For others, dating or starting new relationships may feel more difficult. Some of the reasons may be the following:
- Concerns about when and how to tell someone you are dating about your cancer.
- Uncertainty about how someone you are dating will react to your having cancer.
- Worry that having cancer will make it more difficult to find people to date.
- Changes to your appearance due to cancer or cancer treatment, which may affect your feelings about being attractive or sexual.
- Fear of cancer recurring and wondering how this new person in your life would react.
If you want to start dating but are finding it difficult, it may be helpful to do the following:
- Take small steps, such as volunteering or taking a class where you will meet new people in a relaxed setting.
- Remember that you are in control of when and how you tell someone you are dating about your breast cancer.
- Think about or even practice what you want to say when you are ready to tell someone you are dating about your breast cancer, to help you become more comfortable saying it.
- Talk to a counsellor about your concerns.
- Find a breast cancer support group where you can talk about dating with others.
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