Taking Care of Yourself:
Caring for Someone with Lymphoma
Being a care partner can be demanding and requires emotional and physical endurance, particularly if you have other responsibilities (such as work or raising children). Care partners often disregard their own well-being and have a hard time focusing on other matters. Over time, this can lead to “burnout” – a condition marked by irritability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, weight fluctuation, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, and social isolation. As a care partner, it is important that you practice self-care regularly to reset your physical and emotional well-being. Adopting routines of self-care throughout the process will help you recharge your batteries and give you the strength you need to carry on. This will make the experience less stressful for you and help you be a better care partner.
Tips for Self-Care
Self-care will help you stay physically and emotionally healthy. To achieve that, consider the following suggestions:
- Watch your health. Stay up-to-date with your own medical appointments and take any medications as prescribed.
- Exercise. Stay active with short periods of daily exercise (30 min of power walking, jogging or biking). If not possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator or park farther away than usual.
- Eat well. Include fruits and vegetables in your meals and maintain a balanced diet.
- Sleep. Try to get 7 hours of sleep per night, or take naps when needed.
- Rest. Meditation, deep breathing, and stretching can help you relax and reduce stress.
- Know your limits. It is ok to say no if you do not have time or energy to complete a given task.
- Take breaks. Maintaining some hobbies and keeping up with friends is important to help you unwind. Do not neglect your personal life.
- Get support. You can open up to friends and family or receive one-on-one support through the Foundation’s Lymphoma Support Network. You can also find assistance online with Cancer Care and Cancer Support Community.
- Keep a journal. Writing down your experience can be a helpful way to vent your negative thoughts and feelings.
- Be alert for signs of burnout. Seek help from a trained mental health professional if you feel it is too much to handle.

As a care partner, one of the biggest challenges is assuming the emotional burden of everything that is happening all around you — it can be a lot… It helps to know you’re not alone in something like this, and I encourage anyone facing a lymphoma diagnosis to find some type of community of people that you can talk to who have been through similar experiences.
– Alex, Care Partner