Pink ribbons can be a tough reminder for many breast cancer survivors.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I am a person who’s had breast cancer, which means for me October is basically 31 days of low-key PTSD.

“It is definitely not my patients’ favorite time of year,” said Kathleen Ashton, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Breast Center in Ohio.

“For some, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a moment to celebrate empowerment, but for others it can be a re-traumatizing experience,” she said.

One of the most frustrating things about Breast Cancer Awareness Month for Caroline Ilderton, who was diagnosed in 2018, is how the disease is presented as a monolith.

“Marketing is based on images, but there’s no one image of breast cancer,” said Ms.

“It can feel like only the happy stories are presented,” said Emma Fisher, 40, who has incurable metastatic Stage 4 breast cancer.

For Bri Majsiak, 27, who had a preventive mastectomy after her mother died of breast cancer, the month can feel like a seasonal bandwagon that every company wants to hop on.

“It’s a pink tsunami of ‘We see you, we feel you,’ and then it’s November and it’s like, ‘Well, that’s over, time to get the Thanksgiving stuff out,’ said Ms.

It may seem like all eyes are on you this month, but “it’s important not to feel pressure to be a spokesperson for breast cancer,” Dr.

Davia Moss, 36, a breast cancer survivor in Syracuse, N.Y., bought an Instacart Express membership for October so she wouldn’t see rows of pink-packaged groceries at the supermarket.

“My daughter actually had to remind me yesterday that it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”.

If you’re the friend or relative of a breast cancer survivor, any overture you make this month is undoubtedly well-meaning.

While friends and family may assume this is a celebratory month for survivors, they “need to understand that a serious personal illness like breast cancer is a traumatic experience,” Dr.

“Say ‘I’ve heard Breast Cancer Awareness Month isn’t always positive for survivors, how are you doing?’”

Holly Burns is a writer in the San Francisco Bay Area and a 4-year breast cancer survivor