Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:00.641 --> 00:00:07.626
It's important to be prepared for disasters and emergencies but, as is often the case, preparation can be taken too far.
00:00:07.626 --> 00:00:18.400
Listen and learn about the intertwined relationships among preparation, uncertainty and anxiety, and what you can do to practice prudent preparation.
00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:34.088
Welcome to Live Well and Flourish, where I help you understand what it means to live a flourishing life.
00:00:34.088 --> 00:00:35.948
I'm your host, craig Van Slyke.
00:00:35.948 --> 00:00:47.933
If you're ready to think beyond material and external success, if you're ready to take control of who you are and the kind of life you live, if you're ready to flourish, this is the podcast for you.
00:00:47.933 --> 00:00:50.774
It's storm season here in Louisiana.
00:00:50.774 --> 00:00:54.576
Although I love living here, the weather can be rough.
00:00:54.576 --> 00:00:59.917
Storm season lasts more than half the year between tornado season and hurricane season.
00:00:59.917 --> 00:01:06.281
We also have to be prepared for winter storms, which just seems odd in Louisiana.
00:01:06.281 --> 00:01:14.751
As regular listeners know, we live in the middle of the woods literally, so if something really bad happens, it might take some time before help arrives.
00:01:14.751 --> 00:01:19.275
So storm season always brings my anxiety level up a notch.
00:01:19.275 --> 00:01:25.381
Even before moving to the woods, I was a huge believer in being prepared.
00:01:25.381 --> 00:01:29.164
I almost always have a backup plan and often have a backup plan to the backup plan.
00:01:29.164 --> 00:01:33.028
So in preparation for storms and utility outages.
00:01:33.028 --> 00:01:44.177
We have an automatic whole house generator, an emergency generator in case the big boy fails, lots of water storage containers, non-perishable food and a lot more.
00:01:44.177 --> 00:01:49.251
I even keep a high-quality hatchet in the closet where we'll go in case of a tornado.
00:01:49.251 --> 00:01:51.245
You've got to be able to chop your way out.
00:01:51.245 --> 00:02:02.409
Being prepared for natural disasters provides potential physical benefits, but being prepared also provides psychological benefits, regardless of what you're being prepared for.
00:02:02.409 --> 00:02:04.528
There were a lot of Ps in that sentence.
00:02:04.528 --> 00:02:08.849
One of the biggest benefits of preparation is reducing anxiety.
00:02:08.849 --> 00:02:12.486
There's no doubt being prepared is a very good thing.
00:02:12.486 --> 00:02:20.853
Up to a point, it turns out that focusing too much on being prepared can actually increase your anxiety.
00:02:20.853 --> 00:02:23.889
The way this unfolds is pretty interesting.
00:02:23.889 --> 00:02:25.865
It hinges on the relationships among preparation, uncertainty and anxiety.
00:02:25.865 --> 00:02:26.179
The way this unfolds is pretty interesting.
00:02:26.179 --> 00:02:29.431
It hinges on the relationships among preparation, uncertainty and anxiety.
00:02:29.431 --> 00:02:32.316
Let's start with anxiety.
00:02:32.316 --> 00:02:38.953
One of the major sources perhaps the major source of anxiety is uncertainty.
00:02:38.953 --> 00:02:42.645
You become anxious when you're uncertain about the future.
00:02:43.727 --> 00:02:47.594
Humans have an innate need for predictability and control over our environment.
00:02:47.594 --> 00:02:51.449
When this is compromised, your anxiety level goes up.
00:02:51.449 --> 00:02:59.631
Back when I used to walk Maggie in the pre-dawn darkness, any odd sound caused my heart rate to jump up and anxiety to take hold.
00:02:59.631 --> 00:03:08.633
If I could identify the source of the sound, I'd return to a more normal state or we'd get the heck out of Dodge, especially if it was a skunk.
00:03:08.633 --> 00:03:11.889
The uncertainty caused the anxiety.
00:03:11.889 --> 00:03:19.954
My brain went into overload trying to figure out the possible sources of the sound and what each potential source meant for our safety or our smell.
00:03:19.954 --> 00:03:26.432
A lot of the anxiety came from my brain, rapidly playing a stream of what-if scenario sequences.
00:03:26.432 --> 00:03:28.604
What if it's a mountain lion?
00:03:28.604 --> 00:03:30.409
And what if that mountain lion has cubs nearby?
00:03:30.409 --> 00:03:31.804
And what if we can't get away quickly?
00:03:31.804 --> 00:03:32.385
And what if?
00:03:32.385 --> 00:03:32.828
What if?
00:03:32.828 --> 00:03:33.289
What if?
00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:37.009
Each potential scenario heightened the anxiety.
00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:40.969
This reaction is to a large degree evolutionary.
00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:46.241
Our ancestors needed to be clued into potential threats so that they could avoid dangers.
00:03:46.241 --> 00:03:49.527
They had to reduce uncertainty quickly.
00:03:49.527 --> 00:03:53.562
Those who could survived and those who couldn't didn't.
00:03:53.562 --> 00:03:58.653
So our brains evolved to bake in a psychological reaction to uncertainty.
00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:03.670
We humans also want a sense of control over our lives and our environments.
00:04:03.670 --> 00:04:11.633
Uncertainty challenges that sense of control, which can lead to feelings of vulnerability, helplessness and anxiety.
00:04:11.633 --> 00:04:15.588
Negativity bias also plays a role here.
00:04:15.588 --> 00:04:23.439
When we're faced with uncertainty and tick through possible future states, we tend to focus more on possible negative situations.
00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:24.901
We tend to focus more on possible negative situations.
00:04:24.901 --> 00:04:30.951
For example, when a storm's coming, the actual chance of it hitting us and causing damage is really pretty low.
00:04:30.951 --> 00:04:33.473
But it doesn't feel that way at the time.
00:04:33.473 --> 00:04:47.370
My brain tends to go towards remembering the few times when the storm did hit us and cause difficulties, not the much larger set of times when a storm either bypassed us or hit us and didn't cause any real problems.
00:04:48.896 --> 00:04:56.709
When a storm does hit and cause significant hardship, we experience a sort of trauma that rears its head when faced with similar situations in the future.
00:04:56.709 --> 00:05:04.189
Our experience with Hurricane Laura was a bit traumatic, although I hesitate to call it traumatic, given what some others went through.
00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:14.209
Regardless of other suffering, our experience was real and it left its mark in the form of a learned association between the uncertainty associated with storms and hardship.
00:05:14.209 --> 00:05:17.483
This kicks in whenever a storm approaches.
00:05:17.483 --> 00:05:20.824
I could go on, but here's the bottom line.
00:05:20.824 --> 00:05:24.324
Uncertainty brings anxiety for a whole bunch of reasons.
00:05:24.324 --> 00:05:27.384
The relationship absolutely exists.
00:05:27.384 --> 00:05:31.365
So that brings up the question of what we can do about it.
00:05:31.365 --> 00:05:45.726
Broadly speaking, there are two approaches to dealing with the uncertainty-anxiety link Reducing the uncertainty with more information and reducing the effects of potential negative future states through preparation.
00:05:45.726 --> 00:05:51.608
Both are important and they can be used in combination, but today I want to focus on preparation.
00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:57.422
We bought the whole house generator I mentioned earlier because of what we went through with Laura.
00:05:57.422 --> 00:06:02.742
If memory serves, my exact words were I am not going through that again.
00:06:02.742 --> 00:06:07.117
There might have been some other colorful words thrown in, but that's the gist.
00:06:07.117 --> 00:06:14.029
So I did what I could to prepare for the next storm and that preparation has paid off a bunch of times.
00:06:14.029 --> 00:06:16.281
The most recent was just last week.
00:06:16.281 --> 00:06:20.305
We lost power for almost two days due to a spring storm.
00:06:20.305 --> 00:06:24.706
Well, it would be more accurate to say we lost power for about a minute.
00:06:24.706 --> 00:06:29.766
Then the generator kicked in and supplied power until regular electricity was restored.
00:06:29.766 --> 00:06:31.761
That was pretty awesome.
00:06:31.761 --> 00:06:35.377
I was getting ready to head out of town for a conference.
00:06:35.617 --> 00:06:40.798
If we didn't have the generator, I probably would have had to cancel the trip to help Tracy deal with a power outage.
00:06:40.798 --> 00:06:48.757
But because we were prepared, life pretty much went on as normal Without the generator.
00:06:48.757 --> 00:07:07.060
I would have been an anxious mess trying to figure out whether to cancel my trip, worrying about making sure we had enough fuel for the generator, thinking about how long I could run the generator without a rest, considering which circuits to run and which to cut off, and a thousand other things, because we were prepared.
00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:14.110
I didn't worry about any of that and there was virtually no anxiety, which again was pretty awesome.
00:07:14.110 --> 00:07:18.081
So the scouts have it right Be prepared.
00:07:19.384 --> 00:07:22.168
There's a danger here, especially for someone like me.
00:07:22.168 --> 00:07:26.221
This might get a little complicated, so please stay with me.
00:07:26.221 --> 00:07:33.264
Being prepared is great, but to be prepared, you have to know what potential future states to prepare for.
00:07:33.264 --> 00:07:36.985
In other words, you have to answer the question prepare for what?
00:07:36.985 --> 00:07:41.425
For example, the generator is in preparation for power outages.
00:07:41.425 --> 00:07:47.600
We have designated safe rooms in preparation for tornadoes, and I could go on.
00:07:49.055 --> 00:07:52.024
So to be prepared, you need to think through potential problems.
00:07:52.024 --> 00:07:56.541
Hopefully that makes sense, but here's where the problem comes in.
00:07:56.541 --> 00:08:00.805
There's an almost infinite array of possible future states.
00:08:00.805 --> 00:08:02.879
A tree can fall on the house.
00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:07.024
A tornado can tear off our roof we did lose part of a barn roof to a mini-twister.
00:08:08.315 --> 00:08:11.766
Another hurricane can cause supply chain disruptions and other problems.
00:08:11.766 --> 00:08:13.682
A sinkhole can open up.
00:08:13.682 --> 00:08:16.384
Our water supply can become contaminated.
00:08:16.384 --> 00:08:18.903
We can have another pandemic, God forbid.
00:08:18.903 --> 00:08:21.824
We can have hyperinflation again, god forbid.
00:08:21.824 --> 00:08:24.704
There can be widespread political unrest.
00:08:25.396 --> 00:08:27.322
I can come down with a debilitating illness.
00:08:27.322 --> 00:08:31.661
There can be a run on dog treats that one's mostly a concern for the pups.
00:08:31.661 --> 00:08:34.941
We can experience major labor unrest and strikes.
00:08:34.941 --> 00:08:38.048
The list goes on and on and on.
00:08:38.048 --> 00:08:43.303
The list of potential bad events is limited only by your imagination.
00:08:44.688 --> 00:08:48.019
If you try to prepare for all of these, you'll just make yourself crazy.
00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:53.361
Or, to put it more precisely, you'll experience debilitating anxiety over preparation.
00:08:53.361 --> 00:09:02.884
One reason for this is that each new potential negative event triggers your imagination to come up with others, which increases uncertainty and anxiety.
00:09:02.884 --> 00:09:10.547
There's another trigger Trying to figure out the best ways to prepare introduces new uncertainty and anxiety.
00:09:10.547 --> 00:09:13.307
All of this can quickly become a downward spiral of endless what-if-isms and anxiety.
00:09:13.307 --> 00:09:16.678
All of this can quickly become a downward spiral of endless what-if-isms and anxiety.
00:09:16.678 --> 00:09:18.482
Trust me on this.
00:09:18.482 --> 00:09:20.948
I've experienced it more than a few times.
00:09:20.948 --> 00:09:26.885
So there's a sort of a U-shaped relationship between preparation and anxiety.
00:09:26.885 --> 00:09:32.605
Up to a point, more preparation reduces anxiety, but there's a tipping point.
00:09:32.605 --> 00:09:40.184
Too much preparation triggers the downward spiral and trying to be prepared leads to increased anxiety.
00:09:41.067 --> 00:09:44.381
To borrow from Aristotle, there's a golden mean of preparation.
00:09:44.381 --> 00:09:52.206
It's kind of like salt when you're cooking Too little and the dish is bland Too much and all you taste is the salt.
00:09:52.206 --> 00:09:55.735
What can you do to strike the right balance?
00:09:55.735 --> 00:09:58.464
Prudent preparation.
00:09:58.464 --> 00:10:01.051
Prudent is an interesting word.
00:10:01.051 --> 00:10:04.260
It implies several aspects that relate to living an excellent life.
00:10:04.260 --> 00:10:09.878
First, it implies the ability to think ahead and anticipate potential events and needs.
00:10:09.878 --> 00:10:11.701
But it goes further.
00:10:11.701 --> 00:10:18.842
Prudent also implies a sense of providing for the future, using sound judgment, caution and practical wisdom.
00:10:18.842 --> 00:10:22.537
That all aligns with what it means to live an excellent life.
00:10:22.537 --> 00:10:26.083
But prudent does not mean excessive.
00:10:26.083 --> 00:10:30.606
It means finding the right level of preparation and planning.
00:10:32.658 --> 00:10:33.962
So how can you do that?
00:10:33.962 --> 00:10:42.125
Well, consider risk, which involves thinking about probabilities and consequences when thinking through a potential negative event.
00:10:42.125 --> 00:10:46.140
Consider the likelihood of the event and how bad it'll be if the event comes to pass.
00:10:46.140 --> 00:10:55.159
Living in the woods in a rural area means multi-day power outages are more likely than if we lived in a city with underground utilities.
00:10:55.159 --> 00:11:03.187
But being a victim of crime while at home is a much lower probability event now than when we lived in the city in St Louis.
00:11:03.187 --> 00:11:06.919
But lower probability doesn't mean zero.
00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:13.384
So even for unlikely events, you need to think about the magnitude of the impact if the event should happen.
00:11:13.384 --> 00:11:20.760
A break-in is pretty devastating, especially if it happens when you're at home, so we still lock our doors at night.
00:11:20.760 --> 00:11:27.461
If an event is high probability or high magnitude, it may be worth preparing for.
00:11:27.461 --> 00:11:32.177
My English teachers would be appalled at that sentence, but I think you might get my meaning.
00:11:33.921 --> 00:11:37.828
We can also take some actions that will help deal with multiple types of emergencies.
00:11:37.828 --> 00:11:40.399
Keep a good first aid kit.
00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:43.264
Make sure you have an up-to-date contact list.
00:11:43.264 --> 00:11:44.716
Don't just rely on your phone.
00:11:44.716 --> 00:11:48.562
Get a fire and waterproof box for critical documents.
00:11:48.562 --> 00:11:51.676
Keep yourself healthy, or as healthy as you can.
00:11:51.676 --> 00:11:54.179
Get your financial house in order.
00:11:54.179 --> 00:11:56.563
Learn some basic first aid.
00:11:56.563 --> 00:11:59.168
Check your insurance coverages.
00:11:59.168 --> 00:12:05.057
Make sure your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are in good shape.
00:12:05.057 --> 00:12:08.224
All of these will help you deal with multiple types of bad events.
00:12:08.224 --> 00:12:10.687
Don't get overwhelmed, though.
00:12:10.687 --> 00:12:17.264
Just get started and make slow, steady progress and, before you know it, you'll be prudently prepared.
00:12:17.264 --> 00:12:23.846
Here are three other things you can do this week to help you become better prepared.
00:12:25.495 --> 00:12:32.429
My first suggestion is a big one and it's an easy one Listen to the Practical Prepping Podcast.
00:12:32.429 --> 00:12:36.368
It's an awesome podcast my friends Mark and Krista put together.
00:12:36.368 --> 00:12:39.878
It's a wealth of knowledge for becoming better prepared.
00:12:39.878 --> 00:12:46.398
I love their tagline, which is no bunkers, no zombies, no alien invasions, just practical prepping.
00:12:46.398 --> 00:12:54.780
Mark and Krista do a great job of focusing on practical, actionable advice, not end-of-times craziness.
00:12:54.780 --> 00:12:59.817
One of my favorite episodes was on the many uses of hydrogen peroxide.
00:12:59.817 --> 00:13:00.620
I had no idea.
00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:06.099
They also have a couple of great books and offer a free Getting Started in Prepping PDF.
00:13:06.099 --> 00:13:07.484
That's an excellent resource.
00:13:07.484 --> 00:13:15.380
You can check out Practical Prepping on any major podcast app or at practicalpreppinginfo.
00:13:17.504 --> 00:13:28.832
My second suggestion is something you might not be able to practice right away, but it's worth remembering when it looks like something bad might be on the horizon and you feel yourself getting into the what-ifs.
00:13:28.832 --> 00:13:32.004
Break the downward spiral by thinking about probabilities.
00:13:32.004 --> 00:13:34.764
Yeah, I know, probabilities how exciting.
00:13:34.764 --> 00:13:44.827
But just stopping for a second to think about the likelihood of a bad event can be enough to stop the downward spiral so that you can engage in prudent preparation.
00:13:44.827 --> 00:13:54.586
Finally, I believe that one of the most important things you can do to be prepared for virtually any negative event is to build a strong social network.
00:13:54.586 --> 00:13:59.721
When we were trying to get through Laura, our neighbors were literal lifesavers in some ways.
00:13:59.721 --> 00:14:06.261
Yeah, I know I've talked about the importance of having a strong network a lot, and that is not an accident.
00:14:06.261 --> 00:14:11.418
To paraphrase the Beatles, you can get by with a little help from your friends.
00:14:11.418 --> 00:14:16.508
Fire, tornado, hurricane, illness, job loss, it doesn't matter.
00:14:16.508 --> 00:14:23.875
No matter what happens, a strong set of friends can help you endure the storm.
00:14:23.895 --> 00:14:31.679
Today's closing quote is an old proverb of questionable origin, but I think it fits Prepare the umbrella before it rains.
00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:40.904
Until next time, be prepared, my friends I produce Live Well and Flourish because of my dedication to helping others live excellent lives.
00:14:40.904 --> 00:14:43.865
I don't accept sponsorships and I don't want your money.
00:14:43.865 --> 00:14:47.347
The only thing I want is to help you and others flourish.
00:14:47.347 --> 00:14:52.951
If you've received some value from this episode, please share it with someone that might also benefit from listening.
00:14:52.951 --> 00:14:56.952
The best way to do that is to direct them to livewellandflourishcom.
00:14:56.952 --> 00:15:02.787
Until next time.
