"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
A personal story from Carli on navigating the anxiety spiral and the power of finding your people in a supportive community.
A simple 3-step "First-Aid Kit" to help you calm your mind using breathwork, a thought download, and a powerful reframing technique.
Hey Crew,
Carli here. I thought today we could talk about something I know we all struggle with, anxiety. It always starts in the quiet moments, the ones between scans when the world is supposed to be normal.
I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, and my mind just starts running a marathon of “what ifs” I can never win. What if this fatigue isn’t just fatigue? What if that ache means it’s back? My heart starts pounding and suddenly I can’t breathe.
It's the spiral. That cold, creeping dread. For a long time, I tried to be the strong one, but the anxiety was a physical thing.
One morning, I just hit a wall. I was done with the fear ruining my life, done feeling powerless. I started searching, not for another doctor’s opinion, but for something that felt like mine. I found breathwork that could stop a panic attack. I learned to get the thoughts out of my head and onto paper.
Most importantly, I started talking to people who didn't offer pity, but nodded with recognition.
That’s the real secret. I realized I wasn’t screaming into a void. I was surrounded by people who just get it. People who speak the same language of fear, hope, and fierce determination.
That’s the magic of Cancer Crew. If you’re feeling lost in the noise of your own fear, come and find your people.
In a community like ours, you find the power to take your life back, surrounded by a safe, supportive family that knows exactly what you’re going through. You don’t have to do this alone. Join Cancer Crew today.
Steps You Can Take to Help Your Anxiety
Many of you asked about the tools I use for anxiety, so I wanted to break them down.
Step 1: Breathe
When you feel that panic starting to rise, heart racing, chest tight, this is your first move. It’s a simple breathing pattern that tells your body’s alarm system to stand down.
How to do it:
Sit or lie down somewhere safe. Take 30 deep, fast breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth.
After the last breath out, hold it as long as you can without straining. When you need to, take a huge breath in and hold for 15 seconds, then release.
That’s one round. Do two or three. You’ll feel a shift.
Step 2: Get It Out
Sometimes your brain just won't shut up. The "what ifs" and worries can feel like a swarm of bees. This is for when you need to quiet the noise so you can actually think. You have to get the thoughts out of your head and onto a piece of paper to see what’s really going on.
How to do it
Grab a pen and paper. For two minutes, write down every anxious, scared, and negative thought in your brain.
Don’t judge or edit, just get it all out. Seeing the thoughts on paper takes away their power and shows you they’re just sentences, not necessarily the truth.
Step 3: Choose a New Story
Our brains tell us some wild stories when we’re scared, and we usually believe them without question. This last step is about becoming the author of your own story and choosing a thought that serves you better.
How to do it
Look at the list you just wrote. Pick the thought that feels heaviest and ask yourself: what if I chose to believe the opposite? What if everything was happening for me, not to me?
Try to find a new thought, even if it feels like a stretch. For example, instead of "What if the cancer is back?" try on, "Why not me? Why can't I have a miraculous result?" Changing the thought is a practice, but it changes everything.
This is just your starter kit. Our platform is a library full of tools like these. You can watch interviews with experts, learn from the stories of people who've walked this path, and find more guides to build your own complete toolkit.
With heart,
Raleigh and Carli
Founders of The Cancer Crew
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