With an illness like cancer, you and your family will develop fears about the future. Once you express these feelings, it will become easier to build hope for the future without the burden of unspoken fears and anxiety. Sometimes you and your family will feel out of step with each other. You might be feeling quite hopeful while your spouse is feeling pessimistic and frightened, or vice versa. This may be upsetting, but just remember that people have different experiences, personalities, and attitudes that influence how they react to certain situations.
Some people are more naturally optimistic than others.
Talking about differences within an atmosphere of mutual respect will help you reach more of a common ground. It is human nature to want to avoid situations and feelings that cause us pain. However, avoiding painful feelings will only make the situation worse. Sometimes people think that by acknowledging the uncertainty of the future they will rob the patient of hope or a positive attitude about getting well. Instead, the opposite is true.