By Karin Sieger, Richmond-based psychotherapist and cancer counsellor.

They say, divorce, bereavement, moving home and unemployment can be the most stressful periods in our lives. I would definitely add receiving a cancer diagnosis to this list.

In the UK, 1,000 people are diagnosed with a type of cancer every day; that's one person every two minutes. Breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer, followed by prostate, lung and bowel cancer. One in every 100 breast cancer cases in the UK is among men.

The way a breast cancer diagnosis can affect us mentally and emotionally applies to other types of cancers, too: the shock, sense of disbelief, nothing is the way it used to be, sudden loss of safety, predictability and control we may have felt in our lives. Our foundations are truly shaken and many patients say they no longer recognise themselves.

The impact also depends on the nature of the diagnosis, prognosis and type of treatment, what our support system is like, whether we have other issues putting a strain on us already, our financial stability etc.

You might have received a breast cancer diagnosis, yet feel and look well. In other cases, there may have been tell-tale signs.

Read more: October is Breast Cancer awareness month. Why should that matter to you?

Some talk about their diagnosis, others don't. With some people it is obvious that something has happened, with others you would not know. Putting on a brave face, pretending, or seeking distractions is understandable. Others struggle inside and with life around them. There is no right or wrong way of coping with such life-changing news.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can make you feel very alone, even among other cancer patients. Because like many other illnesses, cancer is personal - you may not feel or experience what I did when I had my first or second diagnosis.

Other people may 'not get' what you are going through, or do not know what to do for the best. You may also want to protect others from what it is like for you. But deep inside the distress and despair may be building up, which can lead to long-term anxiety, depression, anger, hopelessness and lack of motivation, sometimes well into remission (more of that in my next article).

Not all breast cancer treatment approaches involve breast amputation (mastectomy). Indeed, breast cancer does not always show in breast tissue, but can spread to our bones, liver, lungs and brain.

If faced with a mastectomy we can choose to have a reconstruction or to stay 'flat'. Breasts can form a strong part of our identity and having them removed can impact us emotionally as well as present or future intimate relationships - or not.

If you are a man with breast cancer you may feel odd and alone, as breast cancer campaigns rarely feature men, and you may be the only male patient in the breast cancer clinic.

If you are rediagnosed, the cancer can have recurred in the same area or spread (metastasized) to other parts of your body. It may be treatable or not. It may be terminal or not. Depending on the prognosis a second or multiple diagnoses can be worse for us mentally and emotionally, but not necessarily so. It all depends on what ways of coping we developed first time around, which may now support us again.

Coping with a breast or any cancer diagnosis is a very individual path, just as much as our lives up until then have been individual to us. We are left worrying about our life from now on: will it be shorter, will we die, will the treatment be successful, can the cancer come back, how will we manage, what if - so many questions! And with cancer there are few certainties and guarantees. Living with uncertainty can be a difficult (but not impossible) challenge.

In many ways feeling anxious and down is normal. What else are we meant to feel when our world has changed so dramatically? Yet how we cope with such feelings can positively impact our treatment experience and wellbeing.

Finding ways of keeping calm that work for you is important (eg mindfulness activities, exercise, meditation, listening to music, being creative and much more), as is reducing stress, delegating commitments, keeping to simple (not overwhelming) routines, resting, eating well and healthily.

Take care of what needs to be done before you start cancer treatment, as this can further impact your physical and mental energy.

Staying positive is easier said than done. Talking about how you feel with someone independent can help. Many hospitals provide psychological support. You can also find help online on websites like Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Now and many more.

Worried about breast cancer - especially during Covid-19? Here is a useful article and video (at the top of this story) to help you check your breasts regularly. If you have any concerns, then do get in touch with your GP.

[i]Karin Sieger is a psychotherapist and cancer counsellor based in Richmond who offers support online across the UK and beyond. She has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice.