Dinna Fash

An old Scots-Gaelic phrase “dinna fash” has become a war cry for this old battle hardened cancer warrior. “Dinna fash” translates into English as “do not worry” or “do not fret.” Worry can cause much damage to one’s body, heart, soul, and mind. It can wear you down over the long haul of chemotherapy and allow doubt to creep into your soul.

Worry and depression

In the past, as a teacher and a coach, I sorta’ looked at worry as a motivator to aid in keeping us prepared for the troubling times. However, as a cancer warrior, I came to identify worry as another form of cancer searching to destroy our body, heart, soul, and mind. During my struggles and travails along my treatment pathway, worry led to a deep, dark depression.

At times, I have allowed depression to rear its ugly head during my cancer battle. Once depression established a foothold in my life, it was extremely hard to escape its clutches. It seemed, at first anyway, that medication was the answer for my mental ills. The medical experts prescribed a couple different pills for my state of depression.

However, as my depression wore on, I became less and less my true self. Mentally, I went to war with my depression. I made a conscious decision to limit the worry I had allowed to take ahold of my life. It was at this very moment an old Scots-Gaelic phrase sprung to life, “dinna fash”. And truly, I began to say this to myself numerous times a day. “Dinna fash,” “Do not worry.”

Emerging from my depression

Forcing myself to smile and laugh as much as possible daily. Making a mental effort to find the good in the bad as it came. It may have been my training as a teacher and a coach that aided me most in my transformation out of my dark depression.

Given the battles we must endure during our cancer treatment path, many of us may feel depression seeking a foothold in our battle. I encourage you all to find any means possible to seek out the positive and the good in every situation. Do not let down your guard for a single minute. I am not prescribing these exact methods for you or anyone, but I offer my journey simply as food for thought. One should always seek proper medical advice and consult your doctor in aspects of your cancer treatment.

A more positive approach

In closing, I personally have found this more positive approach to the journey of cancer treatment better for my body, heart, soul, and mind. It is extremely easy to give way to dark thoughts and actions that end in depression. I heard one fellow cancer patient exclaim as departing the oncologist office, “Well, guess it is time to rush home and sit in my chair waiting on the end. Who cares!”

I found myself thinking I am certainly glad that is not the way I think or talk about battling cancer. Cancer warriors can’t dwell long in that frame of mind, or we may lose the battle. So I say to you, simply, “Dinna fash!”