Nine Ways to Decrease Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Advice from Gina Cuyler ’92M (MD), ’95M (Res)

Dr. Gina Cuyler

When Dr. Gina Cuyler was two years old, her father died—an acute illness overtook him in days. Soon after his death, her mother sold everything and moved from Panama to New York City in search of a better life for her and her young daughter. By the time Cuyler was four-years-old, she knew she wanted to be a doctor.

“I grew up knowing how hard it was to lose a parent and how difficult life was for my mother,” she says. “I became a doctor because I wanted to help people be well so that others wouldn’t have to go through what we did.”

In 2018, Cuyler started Comprehension Internal Medicine, after 25 years as a practicing physician. She’s also the author of the Insider’s Guide to Leading Your Medical Care and is co-founder and past president of the Black Physicians Network of Greater Rochester. Today, her work focuses on preventive care, wellness, and patient advocacy.

During this unprecedented time, Cuyler’s patients are telling her they are scared. “They are afraid of the unknown—of going outside and to the hospital, of being neglected and alone, and of getting sick and dying,” she says. “The pandemic underscores the need to become better advocates for our own health care.”

Here, Cuyler outlines nine ways to decrease fear and increase well-being during the time of COVID-19 and beyond.

1. Know your medical history

Write it all down and have your information easily accessible: medical conditions, medications, and allergies. If you are experiencing any symptoms, write them down, too. Document what medications you took and when. If you can’t advocate for yourself—and remember that COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness and you may not even be able to speak—you need a way to communicate your health care story.

This isn’t business as usual. Health care providers may not have access to electronic records, or they may be moving so fast that the quicker the information is available to them, the better. Remember, too, that if you have to go to a hospital that is out of your network, providers might not have electronic access to your history.

2. Write down phone numbers

You should also record the names and phone numbers of your closest family members so that if you are on a ventilator, your loved ones can be regularly updated regarding your condition.

3. Stay informed and know where to get help

People are asking me what they should do if they become ill: should they call their primary care physician, 911, or go right to the hospital? I tell them: educate yourselves before visiting your doctor’s office, an urgent care center, or an emergency room. On the University of Rochester Medical Center’s website you can find COVID-19 information, resources, and links. Go to University of Rochester Medical Center Website.

4. Keep track of your symptoms

First, be sure you have a working thermometer and over-the-counter medicines such as Tylenol (acetaminophen). Know what your blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and oxygen level, are normally. If you become ill, document the changes in these to help your health care providers help you.

5. Write down your questions

When we get ill, we tend to become absent-minded and fearful. Have a notepad handy to write things down as you think of them. Have your primary care physician’s number at-the-ready, too. The more prepared you are, the better.

6. Make a plan for your home

Be sure to have a plan in place for the care of your house, your kids, and your pets. Make sure your loved ones know where your important papers are located and what your computer passwords are. Although it’s a conversation no one ever wants to have, make sure your family knows your wishes should you become incapacitated or pass away.

7. Do your best and know others are trying, too

In a time of crisis, it is more difficult for physicians—particularly those like me who were fortunate to be steeped in the biopsychosocial tradition of medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry—to provide the kind of holistic care that we want to deliver to our patients and families. It is so important for everyone to embrace patience, compassion, kindness, and gratitude right now.

8. Use your time wisely

Even though this is a time of physical distancing for our own safety, it is a gift of time for both reflection and meaningful connection. We can go for a walk, sit on our porches, play games with our family, or learn something new. We can call the people who are important to us or take advantage of technology to tell people we are thinking of them.

9. Follow recommended guidelines

Practice all of the guidelines we know so well now: stay six feet away from people, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, only go out if you really need to, and limit interactions with others, especially the older people in our lives and those most at-risk. Most of all, be safe.

— Kristine Thompson, April 2020