Maintaining Positive Emotional Health Amid Grief
- Fitness trainer Tracy Anderson, 48, lost her former husband, Matthew Mogol, to cancer when he was just 48 years old. The specifics of his diagnosis aren’t publicly known. Anderson and their young daughter coped with grief following his untimely passing.
- The grieving process comes in stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling, and these stages can occur in any order.
- New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.”
If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventual acceptance, you will return from this period with a renewed sense of resilience and purpose. - Anderson focuses on dance-themed fitness routines. Turning to art — such as music, painting, or dancing — may be therapeutic for cancer patients and their loved ones, aiding their recovery. Research involving cancer patients who used art to cope showed they may experience decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness.
Celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson, 48, will mark the fourth anniversary this year of losing her ex-husband, Matthew Mogol, who died from cancer. The couple share a young daughter, and immediately following Mogol’s passing, they coped with immense grief.
When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, people closest to them join them on their journey. Sometimes, these valuable members of the cancer warrior’s support group must deal with grief, which has its own share of attached emotions. If you find yourself in this taxing headspace, giving yourself grace and time to grieve is important.
Read MoreView this post on InstagramAnderson and Mogol were married for two years until their divorce in 2013. His exact cancer diagnosis was not made public. Around the time of Mogol’s passing at just 48 years old, Anderson’s business representative told Page Six, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Matthew Mogol…Our thoughts are with his and Tracy’s young daughter, Penelope, during this devasting time.”
Since Mogol’s passing four years ago, Anderson has put added focus on her career as a fitness trainer. Sometimes, focusing on what you love can help the grieving process. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch say “positive emotions are surprisingly prevalent among the bereaved.” They add that it can help combat “depression and other negative emotions that are associated with grief.”
View this post on Instagram
Recent Instagram video posts from Anderson show her staying active at her fitness studio.
“By investing time in self-connection through mindful movement, we cultivate a seamless harmony between mind and body. This journey leads us to discover the core of resilience,” Anderson wrote in a caption.
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Helping You Cope with Grief and Cancer
How to Cope After Losing a Loved One to Cancer
Grief is defined as the devastation that occurs when we lose someone. Grieving comes in five stages, commonly referred to as the “five stages of grief.”
The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can occur in any order.
As you find yourself experiencing some of these stages, remember that the emotions you are feeling are meaningful but also temporary. If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventual acceptance, you will return from this period with a renewed sense of resilience and purpose.
WATCH: Managing the stages of grief.
“Grief comes in waves,” says Dr. Scott Irwin, a psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“They’re grieving the change in their life; the future they had imagined is now different.”
Some days can be more challenging than others, but Dr. Irwin says talk therapy can be helpful. It’s important to reach out to your doctor, a therapist, or support groups in your community for the help you need.
SurvivorNet spoke with Megan Newcomer, who lost a close friend to metastatic cancer in 2018. She shared her unique way of coping with grief. Her friend was an athlete and soccer player, so to help her cope, she embarked on a marathon race in his honor.
Newcomer advises others grieving to first “acknowledge your feelings.”
“Then, think about a way that you could honor the person through a meaningful mechanism. So that can be artwork, music, or developing a financial fundraising project. It could be something very simple, but I do think having it be intentional is what you’re doing to help honor this person,” Newcomer adds.
New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.”
“If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventually acceptance, you will come away from this period in your life more connected to your resilience and strength,” she wrote for SurvivorNet.
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Dancing Is a Form of Art Therapy Which Can Help You Heal
Many cancer patients wrestling with their emotions or adjusting to cancer treatment undergo immense stress. During times like these, resorting to therapy such as music, dancing, painting, and other art forms can be extremely helpful.
In 2020, researchers studied the outcomes of therapeutic artmaking in patients undergoing radiation oncology treatment. Although the research was limited in scope, it found patients reported “decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness” after mindfulness-based art therapy intervention.
Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, told SurvivorNet that emotional health and good quality of life are associated with better survival and outcomes. Art therapy can influence a cancer patient’s overall emotional health.
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