Transcription:
How to Cope with Uncertainty

Prakash Chandran: Welcome to Live Greater. A health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We put knowledge and care within reach, so you have everything you need to live your life to the fullest. This episode is sponsored by UM Shore Regional Health with locations in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties. UM Shore Regional Health is dedicated to bringing world-class care to the communities of Maryland's Mid Shore region. UM Shore Regional Health, where the health of Eastern shore comes first. Today's topic is how to cope with uncertainty. I'm Prakash Chandran. And my guest today is Deborah Weber, the Manager of the Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Dorchester. Deborah, it is great to have you here today. I wanted to start with asking you in difficult times, like the one we're living in right now, is it natural for fears of uncertainty to occur?

Deborah Weber: Certainly, because humans tend to be creatures of habit. When things do not go as planned, we may experience vague points of foreboding or actual fear in the midst of a global pandemic, a state of uncertainty may become persistent and promote uncomfortable stress level. Unrelenting stress often leads to emotional changes and occasionally results in symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Host: So, I want to expand on that a little bit. I want to understand a little bit more about the common symptoms or problems that arise when an individual experiences, this fear, anxiety or uncertainty of the future?

Deborah Weber: Well, some of the symptoms that may be present are problems with sleep or disturbed appetite. Some people find that they worry more or ruminate. They may become irritable or cry more often. If anxiety is involved, they may pace or engage in other behaviors, which seem excessive to those who are not experiencing the same level of anxiety.

Host: So, if people are dealing with this, how exactly do they deal with this uncertainty and this anxiety from all these different sources?

Deborah Weber: Well, one of the best ways to deal with uncertainty is to develop something, some ability to look forward to an activity over which we have control. So even under difficult circumstances, there are methods for regaining, a sense of personal control, and that may help shield ourselves from uncomfortable or even debilitating emotions. For instance, creating a routine, which is structured and predictable can promote calm in the face of chaos.

Host: So, you just mentioned a routine and I really like what you said there, just structuring your day in a way that you feel like you're taking control of it. So what types of routines can people adapt to that make them feel like they're in control?

Deborah Weber: Well, it's very helpful to create a schedule which focuses on healthy, and that can become a routine, a part of daily life, even when we're not in uncertain times. These healthy practices include getting enough rest, maintaining energy levels, and building strength. So let's start with rest, maintaining a consistent sleep wake schedule, and that means going to sleep and waking up around the same time each day, will help you get adequate rest. Seven to nine hours of sleep is usually adequate to achieve restorative sleep in most adults. And by getting in the habit of turning in about the same time each night, your body and mind will soon accommodate to that schedule, thus expecting to fall asleep. Then getting up around the same time each morning allows us to awaken and begin the day without undue drowsiness or stress. And so the next aspect is energy and energy depends on fuel. We have to think of food as fuel. So eating home cooked meals at regular intervals and remaining hydrated throughout the day provides energy.

Consuming, healthy meals that consistent intervals, not only promotes a sense of predictability but will also help improve your overall bodily functions, immunity to diseases, emotion, regulation, and very important, the capacity to learn. It is best to avoid sugary or processed food as much as possible and limit stimulants, such as caffeine, which tend to increase anxiety levels. Once we have rest and energy addressed, we need to think about strength. Strength is built through physical activity. If we engage in some form of exercise several times per week, it can promote body strength and the exercise does not have to be extreme to be effective. The goal is to get your body moving, which promotes the circulation of oxygenated blood to your brain and other vital organs. Walking is a great way to begin because it does not require special equipment or a gym membership. Just keep in mind exercising at consistent times of the day or week will create a mindset that is part of your routine.

Host: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And you know, one thing that I wanted to expand on maybe a little bit is you talked about rest, diet, and exercise and the benefits that building a routine around them have those seem like really good baselines to support emotional resilience. Are there any other strategies that people can undertake to take control of their days a little bit more?

Deborah Weber: Yes. One of the most important of those aspects is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a very beneficial strategy because it contributes to improved concentration and personal insight, which is very important during times of uncertainty. It is a skill that can be incorporated into a routine throughout the day. For instance, simply noticing previously overlooked details of daily life can create new awareness into hearts and minds. And involves practicing curiosity instead of judgment, appreciating how things are interconnected and accepting all circumstances with inner calm. It also involves taking in information with all of the senses. It requires time to master mindfulness, but it eventually becomes second nature. I can't overstate that enough, if you allow it, mindfulness will become second nature. I'd also suggest challenging adversity by acquiring an attitude of gratitude. We hear a lot about that these days, but it doesn't mean exclusively focusing on what is positive or good, but instead of becoming grateful for challenges and losses, because through them, we develop resilience.

And then as your capacity for gratitude increases, you will find that your ability to experience calm during difficult times emerges. Something most people might not think about is maintaining self-esteem. When we are focused on bad things happening around us, especially when we are more confined and even socially isolated than usual, it's easy to slack off on self care, but it's important not to do that. For instance, bathing daily and wearing clean clothing can improve your mood and your self esteem. It seems like a small thing I know, but it really does help you to feel better. Hydrotherapy, which basically means being immersed in water is recognized as an effective way to calm your emotions, further maintaining your personal hygiene, including brushing teeth, trimming nails, and keeping skin intact contribute to your immediate health as well as your longevity. Very important. As this is true for adults, it's also true for children.

If there are children in your household, it's important to teach them how to clean and take care of their bodies, that they will establish lifelong good habits. The children watch what adults do. So if you're doing that, it'll be easier for your children to acquire that same habit. Overall, gaining personal control over rest, energy, strength, mindfulness, gratitude, and self esteem are the building blocks to insulate us from fear and frustration, which often accompany uncertainty. So having a routine enables you to anticipate what to expect throughout the day, thus reducing some uncertainty, extending those routines to others in your household, particularly children will help alleviate emotional distress in them as well.

Host: Yeah, that's all really fantastic advice. I can absolutely see the value of establishing that routine, practicing that mindfulness and doing things to really establish your self esteem by just taking care of yourself. You know, you talked about fear and uncertainty. Is it realistic if you implement some of the things that we're talking about? Is it realistic to expect this, to prevent all fear and uncertainty?

Deborah Weber: No, the techniques discussed here will not eliminate all uncertainty, but they will help us endure until the current crisis passes. And so the bonus for that is continued practice of the techniques will help to protect our emotions during future difficult time, establishing then faithfully following such routine in our daily lives improves resilience to medical illness as well.

Host: So just as we close here you know, I'm sure that you've dealt with a lot of individuals that are going through a hard time, that you've given a lot of advice around gaining control of their lives through some of the methods that we've discussed here today. Is there any one piece of advice that you would like to leave our audience just given everything that you know, and common themes that you see around how people deal with difficulty and uncertainty?

Deborah Weber: Yeah. If I could sum up one little piece of advice that would be instead of trying to avoid what's happening or pretending it's not happening is to somewhat embrace what's happening. And it sounds counterintuitive. I know, but once we realized that we can overcome these things, we can be strong in the face of adversity, then adversity takes on a different hue. So to accept that there will be uncertainty will allow us to actually embrace it when it does occur.

Host: Well, I think that's great advice and a perfect place to end. I really want to thank you so much for your time Deborah. This has been very informative. That's Deborah Webber, the manager of the mental health intensive outpatient program at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Dorchester. To find a behavioral health professional near you go to umms.org/mentalhealth. Thank you for listening to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We look forward to you joining us again.