CRUCIAL CATCH 2021 - Have you delayed having cancer screening?

It’s Fall again and the leaves are turning, offering us an invitation to play catch as they float to the ground, seemingly without a care in the world.

Every October, the focus is on cancer screening and the US and UK turn pink as we honor those affected by breast cancer. This year, the focus has shifted to screening and early detection for all types of cancer. Unfortunately, some people have too much anxiety to schedule a screening. If fear is getting in the way of booking a scan, the mind body tools shared in this article can help.

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Amy Frost supports adults and children with cancer and their caregivers through Angels of  Las Vegas. She became a Dallas Cowboys wife by marriage, and a Las Vegas Raiders  fan by hometown, bringing the NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign into sharp focus  for her. Every October, she says, the campaign prompts her to look at her own state of  health and to schedule her yearly check-up. 2021 sees the NFL update their yearly  campaign, Crucial Catch, to face not just breast cancer, but to raise awareness for all  types of cancer, highlighting the importance of early detection and risk reduction.  

Cancer screenings dropped during Covid 
Initiatives like the NFL’s are more important this year than ever, since Covid put a stop to a  lot of screening, according to the American Cancer Society, and we are even further  behind than usual.  

In the UK, the problem is similar: around 430,000 fewer people than normal were on an  urgent suspected cancer referral during March 2020-February 2021, compared with the  same time the previous year according to Cancer Research UK. 
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Following your intuition 
Have YOU noticed any hints from unexpected places that things may not be quite right?  Like Jan from Hampshire, UK, sometimes it’s our intuition that guides us. Jan was on a  cruise ship with her husband Dave, when she just kept hearing a woman’s voice saying: “it’s all about the PSA you know, all about the PSA”.

So when Dave was due a doctor check-up, she said to him to ask for the PSA test. The  doctor wasn’t at all keen to do this test, but she had primed her husband and told him to  pretend he had been getting obvious symptoms, so they did the test. It was the ‘woman’s’  message to her that made her get her husband to make the call… and he was very  shocked to unexpectedly receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, with not a symptom in sight. 

Making self-care a priority 
The following are some steps that can help you to make that screening call, receive a  diagnosis and then if you need further help, gather your support circle, beginning with what  we are calling the CRUCIAL CATCH Support Process: Care, Accept, Take Charge, Help  self. This process will help you make self-care the priority it needs to be.

Care 
We all look out for others every day - be it our kids, our other half, a friend in need, our  colleagues. We like to think that we are good at offering a friendly, non-judgmental ear, a  warm hug, a knowing glance, a shared understanding, a soothing look. 

So here’s a question you may never ask yourself - How are we when it comes to caring for  ourselves? 

When was the last time you offered a non-judgmental ear to your irritation with self over  not accomplishing your to do list yet again? When did you last smile with self-support in  the mirror…without shooting yourself a barb or two? Have you ever cheered yourself with  a high five, instead of giving them all away to everyone around you? 

Accept 
Sometimes it’s good to sit down with yourself and accept that on an everyday level, you  alone can’t save the world. Take five minutes, even just once a day, to reflect that some  things are outside of your control. Take time to notice that thing, which is niggling you, that  you are squashing to the bottom of your to do list… keeping super busy and constantly  hoping that it will go away. 

Take Charge 
But it doesn’t go away. It may poke you daily, or nightly, reminding you that something isn’t  right. It could be a pain, or as little as a knowing feeling…but you have kept yourself busy  to avoid addressing it. 

Help Self 
Time has passed by for even longer than usual in the last year or so, dealing with all the  issues that Covid-19 presented the world… and US… yes us - or in fact YOU. It’s  probably two or three times longer since you saw your doctor and were able to share your  worries and book a scan to put your mind at rest or be able to take advantage of early  detection. It’s more than time, in fact it’s way past time to make the call and focus  attention on what is really going on inside you. 

This is the time to make the most Critical Catch and call the doctor for an appointment. Here are some ways to help you take the action you need to, using mind body tools: 

Mind body tools can ease the stress that leads to resistance 
It’s at moments like this that you may need some help in taking action to make the critical  call to intercept more pain further down the line, instead of giving the ball to fear and worry. ​

​Butterfly Hug 
When it’s time to take action but you feel paralyzed, sit down, catch  
your breath and receive a hug from the butterfly using the Soothing  
Butterfly Hug – This popular tool was originated and developed by  
Lucina Artigas. To do it: 

1. Place your hands as shown 
2. Flap your hands like the wings of a butterfly 
3. Breathe slowly and notice the change

BREATHE…!  
If you can’t do anything else, because even thinking about this ‘niggle’ sends you spiralling  down with anxiety and panic, learn to consciously BREATHE. 

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Connected heart breathing:
Place both hands over the centre of your chest. 
Breathe gently and deeply - imagine breathing through your heart 
Recall a positive feeling of love, appreciation or gratitude 
Continue heart focus/heart breathing for several minutes 

If you don’t ever remember to do anything else to help yourself in the moment - then just  think that you take in life force energy and take action every couple of seconds just by  breathing! 

SHARE 
Take time to share your worry with someone close to you. As the old saying goes, a  problem shared is a problem halved, and after all you are always there for others, see if  you can accept some help for yourself. Accept a hug from them, and when you aren’t with  them try this exercise: 

Simplified Self HaveningTechniques®, by Ron Ruden, Ph.D. 
Cross arms, each hand on opposite shoulder 
Pull hands from both shoulders down to the elbows, with firm but gentle pressure At the same time, hum a tune 

ENGAGE 
Make the telephone call. Decide what time of day you are going to do this. Ask the  person who you shared with to be there with you, if that will help you in the moment. Try  this exercise just before you pick up the phone, to help wake up your senses, get the  blood pumping and help get you ready to make the call. This is also a useful exercise  after lunch to wake yourself up for the afternoon’s challenges, or before important exams  or an interview. 

Thymus Thump 
Pound the center of your chest vigorously with a closed fist. 
 
CALM YOUR ANXIETY 
Now you are in the waiting phase, having booked your appointment. Each time you notice  a panic or anxiety, try to calm yourself with the breathing exercise outlined above.  Sometimes people get really angry and start thinking ‘Why me?’ Try the stress blow out  exercise to disperse the tension and reset yourself: 

Stress Blow Out 
Lift both hands over head, clench fists hard 
Take deep breath and hold it 
Pull hands down fast, blow out air ‘WHOOOOSH’  
Bend your knees, open hands when arms are fully extended 
Repeat 3-5 times

TAKE COURAGE 
Keep communicating with your accountability partner or friend, with whom you can feel  you are not alone and praise yourself for loving yourself enough to share your worries.  Mark the calendar with the scan appointment and make sure everyone knows that you will  be busy that day. Ask someone to attend with you, so you don’t chicken out of going, and  if possible get them to drive you there and back. 

Once in the waiting room you can do this invisible technique to keep you calm: 

Calming Hug 
Cross your arms 
Hold for a minute 
Switch & Repeat using opposite arm 

Give yourself a High Five! 
Having got through this part of loving yourself - notice how you feel now - having taken  action. 
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Realise you may have just taken the most critical steps in your life… Congratulate yourself  and celebrate your courage. Your team all around you will be very thankful that you did.  

You may not have saved THE world, but you may just have saved YOUR world.  

Amy Frost MBA, MA Spiritual Psychology, is a trainer, community  
collaborator and facilitator. She has used tapping and energy psychology  techniques in all her training, coaching and presenting for over twenty  years. A long term ACEP Humanitarian and 2018 Humanitarian of the  year. You can learn more at www.amyfrost.com amy@amyfrost.com ​

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Sara Whittall is a Body Code Practitioner and Member of ACEP  Humanitarian Committee svwhittall@gmail.com 
Photo credit - Sara + Fall in Hampshire, UK: Sara Whittall

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For more information on the above Mind Body Tools, including videos written instructions  in English, Spanish and Portuguese, plus downloadable leaflet, visit Resources for  Resilience - a project from The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology's  Humanitarian Committee. 

Disclaimer: The information on this page is educational in nature and is provided only as general  information for stress reduction. It is not intended to create, and does not constitute a professional  relationship between Resource for Resilience project team members or the Association for  Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) and the viewer. It should not be relied upon as  medical, psychological, coaching, or other professional advice of any kind or nature whatsoever.