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Most people think that surviving cancer is a time for celebrating. While it is a happy time, it can also come with other emotions. One of those emotions might be guilt. What is there to feel guilty about, some might ask?

As a cancer survivor, you've had a life altering experience where you met new people while in treatment and may have even lost some of them to cancer along the way. Why them and not you?

You may also experience guilt about the amount of time and energy invested in you by family and friends when you're typically the caretaker of others in your family. It's important to know that this is a normal feeling, but it also can't be ignored.

Let's take a look at what it is and what you can do to counter feelings of survivor's guilt.

Only those who have been through the ups and downs of having and then recovering from cancer truly understand the fact that completing treatment doesn’t automatically lead to a stress-free life. When cancer treatment ends, so do some causes of stress. However, different causes of stress may take their place as you transition into life as a cancer survivor. Here are some of the most common stressors for cancer survivors, and suggestions for dealing with them.

When you were a cancer patient, you probably relied on others out of sheer necessity. If you received chemotherapy or radiation treatments, they may have left you feeling too ill and exhausted to drive, cook, clean, or do much of anything. If you had surgery, you probably needed help with even the most basic tasks while you were recovering. One of the most difficult things for many cancer patients to come to terms with is having to relinquish their independence during treatment.

Especially if your cancer treatment lasted for a long time, you may have become accustomed to other people doing things for you. Now you are a cancer survivor. Your cancer is in remission, you may have been cleared by your oncology team to resume many of the tasks you’ve been relying on others to do for you. This can be exciting, but also perhaps a bit scary as you regain strength and start to test your physical limits.