Many people assume that drugs are the only way to control symptoms. In fact, they are only one part of treatment. Sometimes the simplest ways of making you feel more comfortable are overlooked. There are a lot of things, on their own, or together with medical treatment, that you and other people can do to help you feel better.

The way you sit or lie down can affect some symptoms (such as a cough or swollen legs) and what may feel comfortable at first may be uncomfortable 15 or 20 minutes later. Family or friends can help you change position as often as necessary. This will also reduce the risk of your skin becoming sore and inflamed as a result of sitting or lying still in one position for long periods.

It is important to change your position regularly

Sheets or bedding may need to be tidied or changed too. People feel a lot better when they get back into a cool bed with fresh bed linen. V-shaped pillows or supports can help to reduce back and neck ache and a bed cradle can keep the weight of blankets off aching limbs.

Your district nurse may be able to get a special mattress and cushions for you. Other people from your care team, such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, can provide special equipment to help with movement and sitting. See our daily living section for other sources of help.

Watching TV, listening to music, or chatting to a friend will not make your symptoms go away, but they can help to distract your attention from them, at least for a time. Sitting in a chair or lying in bed with nothing to do can become depressing, and even short periods of entertainment can help raise your spirits and help you to cope better with symptoms. Short, regular visits from friends and relatives are probably better than longer ones. They are less tiring, help to break up the day and are something to look forward to.

As anxiety and depression can make some symptoms such as breathlessness worse, it can help to talk about your worries and fears with people who are close to you. Acknowledge the emotions you are feeling and try not to bottle things up. It is perfectly natural to feel a whole range of powerful emotions, including depression, when you have cancer. Talking through your feelings with your partner, or a close friend or relative can be very helpful.

You may find our section about the emotional effects of cancer helpful.

If you don't feel able to talk to your partner (perhaps because it upsets you both too much) you can ask your GP to put you in touch with a counsellor or contact a counselling organisation.

You may be anxious about your treatment or worried about coping at home. You may have financial problems. Often, friends or relatives can help by getting more information from doctors and nurses or finding out about services that can help. Sometimes there is little that they can say or do, but just being there to listen and understand can be enough. Emotional pain can make it more difficult to cope with any symptoms that occur.

It is often hard to accept or understand why an illness like cancer should happen in someone's life, especially in younger people. People often have feelings of guilt, and worry about how the cancer will affect their family now and in the future. Sometimes the strength of these emotions may make the person feel isolated and frightened, and withdraw from family and friends. It can help to talk to someone about these feelings.

You might find it helpful to visit our sections on talking about cancer: talking about your cancer is for people with cancer, and talking to someone with cancer is for friends and relatives.

Serious illness can force people to take life more seriously, and to question the meaning of life. Some people who have religious beliefs may find their faith severely shaken by their cancer diagnosis. Even people who have never been regular worshippers may have spiritual questions. People often ask questions like 'Is there life after death?' and 'Why should the people I love suffer?'

Some people find great comfort in religion at this time and it may help them to talk to a local minister, hospital chaplain or other religious leader. If you do not feel that this is the right type of support for you, talking with family and friends, or with a counsellor or someone from a cancer support group may help.