The Health Cross Roads: How to deal with health uncertainty

The feeling of our stomach churning, the short shallow breathing and the heart racing is all too familiar when we are at a cross roads with our health . There will many times where we are left uncertain about our health. Perhaps, we are waiting for the first doctor’s appointment to discuss some worrying symptoms , perhaps we are waiting for some test results or we are waiting to see a specialist; the time is unnerving and can overtake our thoughts and our day to day life. So how do we deal with the uncertainty and that waiting time? Here ae some of my Do’s and Don’ts as a patient myself

1. Do not go on the internet – this can cause unnecessary anxiety. Even as a health care professional and biomedical scientist, I have easily fallen onto the unverified untrustworthy website. It can also lead you to misinformation such as blog’s . Although blogs can explain someone’s experience, it is their experience and perspective of their particular illness and this will not be the same for everyone. Googling symptoms and what we type into google can determine what comes out on our screen. For example. Dysuria or pain on passing urine can be misinterpreted by the person searching and they may type in tummy pain. Googling symptoms is a quick-fire way to develop anxiety.

2. Do not assume the worst case scenario: I had someone recently that had chest pain and thought it was a heart attack and the pain was in fact due to a bad cough. Labelling your symptoms as something worrying can change our whole perspective. Although it is very important to have all your symptoms assessed, try and avoid assuming the worst. As doctors, we base out provisional diagnosis on facts. A professor at my medical school once said to me that 90% of the diagnosis comes from speaking to the patient alone without even doing an examination! A good doctor will take a full history. Express what you are concerned about to your doctor but let us assess in an objective way. It is easy for our story and symptoms to change after we have read something on the internet. With the increasing use of AI to diagnose oneself, the answer you get online is very much dependent on the quality of the questions asked!

3. Do not catastrophize. It is of course natural that we think of the worst case scenario. Is it a case of “we expect the worst but hope for the best” ? This could in theory help in preparing for the worst but does it actually? In reality it can worsen stress and make you stop living in the present moment.

4. Do not neglect yourself: The consequence of catastrophizing is that the increased stress can cause self neglect of our health – the things we can actually control in our day like going out for a walk, resting, exercising , eating on time and eating well goes down the drain. Do not fall into this trap. There is always something we can do for our health each day – even if it’s going to bed early

5. Do not isolate yourself: Being alone can increase the amount of stress and ill health you experience. It is important to try your best at going to work, sticking to your routine and being around your support network. In the same light, your support network needs to be IRL ( as in physical humans in your vicinity ) and not the ones on support networks. There is a time and place for the use of online support networks but it may not suit everyone.

6. Do not seek excessive reassurance can cause your whole being to be consumed with your health uncertainty. Try to think of one or two friends that can help you take your mind off things. Of course, explain what is going on with you but explicitly state that you need them to distract you from all the worry.

7. Do not feel guilty: It is normal in the waiting period , to blame yourself; “ this is all my fault “, “ I should have been healthier “ but this can really add to stress and ill health as well. Our minds can go into overdrive and sometimes we may run the risk of taking drastic changes making life more miserable. Whilst healthy changes are important , if you are in a mindset of wanting to initiate healthy habits because of the circumstances you find yourself in , it is important to take the tiniest of changes to your health. For example, sleeping earlier helps to avoid late night snacking, going for a run will relieve stress that you would otherwise have dealt with through smoking.

8. “ But what if …” this can also be mentally exhausting. It is important to refrain from obsessing over all the scenarios until you get all the facts and results to hand. It may be worth writing your questions down for your doctor so you don’t have to mentally rehearse them.

9. Do try to distract yourself with hobbies and interests. These are often things which help us normally and keep us mindful and sane. Often I coach my clients into being comfortable engaging in solitude activities as well as those you would do with loved ones. This can massively reduce stress and occupy the time. These hobbies are absolutely essential in my coaching programme for example because these fall into what I call your non negotiables – habits which absolutely save your soul on the most challenging of days.

10. Don’t rush into unnecessary action: Until you have all the facts from your IRL doctor ( not the internet ), you will not know which changes in lifestyle and other management options are available. Again, I would have a list of questions that you can get to on your phone’s notebook function – any time you think of a question, jot it down and go back to the things you are doing

Coaching Prompts when Dealing with Uncertainty – these pretty much apply to life in general

1. What can you control in your life right now ? Make a list of things you can control about today.

2. Be sure to turn off notifications, unsubscribe to any unnecessary noisy emails and try and avoid a lot of screen time.

3. List activities that help you remain in the present moment. For bonus points, what one new activity could you try to help you remain in the present moment ?

4. What health distractions can you engage in ?

5. Who is on your speed dial when you need support ?

6. List trusted sources if you must seek out information on your health condition

7. Write down how you are feeling right now . Feel free to spend 2 or 10 minutes, just let your thoughts flow

8. Write down one strong and positive statement about yourself “ I am doing the best I can”

9. Set one goal for today ? What time will this happen ? How much time do you need ?

10. Remind yourself of the bigger picture – worrying won’t change the outcome but what can you control today ?