When Worry Won’t Switch Off : How Qigong Can Help

18 hours ago

5 min read

Updated: 6 minutes ago

Making sense of everything that happened after an illness can be overwhelming. The conversations I have with women inside the health coaching container that I offer very often carry a mix of uncomfortable emotions that are complex to disentangle.

There is fear of cancer recurrence, where every body ache or twinge is a trigger. Anxiety that arrives at night. Low moods that drain colour from life, and feeling like a stranger in your own body, or lonely because people around you may assume that life is back to normal.

All of this is a very human response to experiences that are not only deeply challenging but possibly traumatic.

Regaining a Sense of Control, One Small Choice at a Time

There are no fixed steps to take to lift the uncertainty, or ways to have total control of what will happen next.

But what is possible is to choose how we look after ourselves right now, today, and in my experience that is where a sense of control starts to return.

One of the strategies I encourage women to start with is prioritising wellness. Wellness can be defined as the active pursuit of the activities, choices and lifestyles that lead towards holistic health (1). I like the word active, because wellness is something you practise, in small ways, regularly.

It doesn't need to be complicated or extreme. It can be as simple as nourishing meals, regular gentle movement, proper rest, and activities that help you relax, because when the body is calmer, worries tend to feel more manageable.

Mind-body practices are a natural fit in this context, and Qigong is one that virtually anyone can explore.

What Is Qigong?

Qigong (often written Qi gong or Chi kung, and pronounced roughly "chee-gung") is a Chinese practice that combines gentle, flowing movements, regulated breathing and focused attention.

It needs no equipment and no previous experience, and it can be done standing or seated. The movements are slow and low-impact, and it's closer to a moving meditation than to exercise.

Why It May Help With Worry, Low Mood and Anxiety

An anxious mind tends to live in the future, in the "what if". Qigong gives it something simple and immediate to do with your body instead: follow the movement, follow the breath.

Slow, rhythmic breathing is also one of the most accessible ways of nudging the nervous system from alarm towards calm, and because it's something you do for yourself, it helps directly with feelings of powerlessness.

What is research saying?

Studies show that Qigong is safe for people with cancer, including frailer patients (2).

The joint 2023 guideline from the Society for Integrative Oncology and ASCO recommends Tai chi and/or Qigong for anxiety symptoms after cancer treatment, and for depression symptoms post-treatment, alongside options such as mindfulness-based programmes and yoga (3).

A 2025 meta-analysis of 43 randomised trials (3,683 participants) found Tai chi and Qigong helped reduce emotional distress in people with cancer (4), and an earlier pooled analysis of 15 trials found improvements in depression, quality of life, fatigue and sleep difficulty (5). Another review of Qigong in women with breast cancer found benefits for quality of life, anxiety and depression (6).

It must be said that many of the trials are small and much of the research is in breast cancer, but both evidence and real life application point to Qigong as a very supportive mind-body practice not only in this context, but for health and healing in general.

This is because of the way it involves gentle and regular movement, rhythmic breathing, mindfulness, energy flow, connection with both body and spirit, all at the same time.

Why Not Give It a Go?

If you are new to Qigong and feel drawn to experiment, my first piece of advice is: follow your instinct and don’t overthink it.

Start small. Five to ten minutes a day is plenty. The research suggests the benefits persist with practice, so I'd always choose little and often over long and occasional (2).

Link it to something you already do, such as after your morning drink or before bed. If sleep is part of your struggle, you might also like my post on sleep vs. rest.

Learn from a teacher who has experience with people affected by cancer, at least at first (see below for where to look). You can then follow videos at home.

Check in with your medical team if you've had recent surgery, or live with bone concerns, balance problems, lymphoedema or neuropathy. A short conversation makes sure the movements suit you.

Go gently. Stop if anything hurts or you feel dizzy. It's not meant to be effortful.

If your mobility is limited, Qigong adapts well to sitting, and cancer-focused classes are often run seated or as a mix of seated and standing.

Where to Look

Penny Brohn UK is a cancer health and wellbeing charity supporting adults with any type of cancer with a mix of online and in-person services. It’s free to join through a simple registration.

Maggie's offers online exercise classes that include chair yoga, seated pilates and Qigong. Contact them and/or search your nearest Maggie's centre and ask what it runs.

Seated Qi Gong with Stella is a 60-minute online practice from the Royal Voluntary Service's Virtual Village Hall, designed for anyone with an injury, health condition or disability, including wheelchair users.

Closer to home: ask your hospital's cancer support service or your local cancer charity.

Choosing How You Fill Your Days

I see recovery as something shaped by what we choose to do consistently from one moment to the next - a few slow breaths, a mindful stretch, a walk, a nourishing meal, cup of tea drunk sitting down.

Each small choice communicates safety to the body, and over time these choices shape the way we feel and function. What matters is finding the things that uplift you and leave you feeling a little more like yourself afterwards, and choosing them again tomorrow. I explored this aspect also in how to return to feeling like yourself after a health crisis.

Creating Health That Fits You

As with everything to do with healthy lifestyle, most of us know what helps. The challenge often lies in making it part of life, and here’s an aspect where coaching offers support.

Health coaching is now fully integrated in the 1:1 programmes where I support women to work out what wellness actually means for them now, and to choose practices that fit their energy, interests and circumstances (Qigong may be one, or it may not, for example). We build them in gradually, adjust when life gets in the way, and approach fear and powerlessness with compassionate presence rather than trying to push them aside. It sits alongside nutrition, nervous-system regulation and the wider question of who you are becoming after cancer, and it always integrates with your medical or psychological care.