After a breast cancer diagnosis, your brain can become a very loud place.
There are questions you forgot to ask your doctor. Worst-case scenarios you can’t stop imagining. Decisions you didn’t know you’d ever have to make. Things you’re afraid to say out loud. Things everyone keeps telling you that you should feel.
Writing can give all of those thoughts somewhere else to go.
You don’t need to commit to a journaling practice. You don’t need a beautiful notebook. And you definitely don’t need to turn what you’re feeling into something deeply profound.
Open your Notes app. Grab a notebook. Write on the back of your discharge paperwork if you have to.
Just get it out of your head.
15 journal prompts for someone newly diagnosed with breast cancer
What am I most afraid of right now?
What do I actually know about my diagnosis and what am I filling in with fear?
What questions keep looping through my head?
What questions do I want to ask my breast surgeon, oncologist, or care team?
What am I angry about?
What do I wish people would stop saying to me?
What do I need right now that I haven’t asked anyone for?
Who makes me feel safer when I talk to them?
What am I trying to protect everyone else from?
What part of my life am I most afraid of losing or changing?
What do I want to remain mine while I go through breast cancer treatment?
What would make tomorrow 5% easier?
What do I want my doctors to understand about me beyond my breast cancer diagnosis?
What am I allowed to leave unresolved today?
If I could say everything I’m thinking without worrying about anyone else’s feelings, what would I say?
You don’t have to do anything with what you write in a cancer journal
You never have to show anyone.
You don’t have to reread it. You don’t have to find the silver lining. You don’t have to turn it into gratitude. You don’t even have to keep the page.
Researchers have studied expressive writing as a way for people with breast cancer to process their experiences. Some studies have found benefits—including improvements in certain quality-of-life or adjustment measures—while larger reviews suggest it doesn’t work the same way for everyone.
You don’t have to journal because it’s supposed to “fix” anything. Think of these prompts as a place to put the thoughts, questions, anger and fears you may not be ready to say out loud.
Sources for these breast cancer journal prompts
Babette is an independent media and education company, not a medical provider. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or direct treatment. Our journalism and education are meant to help you understand your options and prepare for conversations with your care team, not to replace them. Some materials may be created with the support of artificial intelligence and should be reviewed with your medical providers before informing any care decision. All decisions about your care belong to you and your doctor.
