Scary, You bet your life it is! However you have received this news, it has to be a shock to your whole system. This turbulent time, following a brain tumour diagnosis, often leaves people with little, or at best troubled, sleep. Waking hours can be filled with anxiety where you are in the unfamiliar territory of hospitals, brain scanners and facing your own demons. Putting on that brave face, masking your fears or meningioma symptoms, to protect family and other loved ones is exhausting and can leave you emotionally drained.



It is essential that you have the strength to meet these challenges both physically and emotionally. You may have to make some of the most important decisions of your life right now, and you need to face these decisions with clarity, despite the upheaval all around you.

There are countless tried and tested methods of relaxation from lavender pillows to yoga. Many will be available to you in some guise or other, via your local community or through a simple internet search. You may feel that now is not the time to master new techniques and skills and therefore may not be looking at this as an experience that could be relaxing.

Giving yourself time to think, is every bit as effective. This does not mean time to worry, get agitated or drown in self pity. It means allowing yourself time to digest all the meningioma facts, how you feel about it and setting your resolve to deal with it.

In a stressful state your muscles tighten, all over your body. Sleep will be very difficult to achieve and your energy levels will be severaly tested. It is enough that you are dealing with the meningioma symptoms themselves without the addition of further physical stress. A walk along the beach, a quiet place in the park or a place that is special to you can provide the perfect atmosphere to remove you from your suddenly acquired stress inducing, thought-clutter. A relaxed state brings about a decrease in muscle tension, a reduction in blood pressure and your rate of breathing slows.

The fact that a good nights sleep can help cure all has long been accepted. It gives you more energy, now more than ever you need this to deal with your day. A good nights sleep on a regular basis will aide your well being and increase resistance to the everyday niggling complaints such as the common cold. If a reasonable period of sleep or a time for quality relaxation can be achieved you will be better able to concentrate, you will feel less vulnerable and be better able to take control of events happening to you.

This special relaxation time does not need to be spent alone, but it is better to be away from situations that cause your stress, and don't forget, the people that you love the most may be the ones that you feel most stressed about sharing the details of your meningioma brain tumour with. If you are rested and relaxed, your emotions more stable so you have a better chance of sharing with and keeping close, the people most important to you.

Ultimately, the most important issue is that you understand your meningioma brain tumour - and for that sharpness of mind and body is what is needed!