Scott Burton, KTOO

“We often say that Juneau is an amazing community. I think this is going to prove it.”
— Dr. Elaine Schroeder

On Tuesday, Juneau Afternoon host Scott Burton interviewed psychotherapist Dr. Elaine Schroeder. Schroeder explored ways to maintain mental wellness during the pandemic and social isolation.

She is also the host of KTOO’s Mind over Matter, a program focused on social justice and mental health, and has lived in Juneau for over 30 years.

Before delving into mental wellness, Schroeder emphasized the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and being patient with the feelings that it evokes: “Like everybody else, I’m scared. It’s human. This is a pandemic that has never occurred in the history of our lives,” said Schroeder.

Some of the strategies for mental wellness that Schroeder recommended include:

• Grounding oneself in trusted, reputable sources rather than consuming information in passing. “WHO (World Health Organization), reputable scientists, and research intuitions we can trust,” said Schroeder.
• Finding creative ways to stay connected with others, while upholding a responsibility to practice social distancing and isolation.
• Building routine and structure, such as making sure to get outside everyday. “I try to get out, rain or shine!” said Schroeder.
• Taking preventative measures to prepare for isolation — especially for those with depression or other pre-existing psychological conditions. These include setting up calls with a therapist, establishing routine, or unearthing old creative projects.
• Figuring out ways to help and receive help from others, whether that’s through engaging with online mutual aid groups. The new Juneau Mutual Aid group on Facebook is one example.

“Social isolation is going to be a challenge for all of us,” said Schroeder. “Offering to help others can really help create a sense of community. Loneliness is a very serious health risk for older people living alone, for anyone living alone. I’m sure that in Juneau, because of the strength of our community, that there will be remedies for things that individuals may be worried about: How am I going to get groceries? How am I doing to do this, how am I going to do that?” said Schroeder.

The measure of these next uncertain months will be about how individuals and communities respond to crisis, taking care of themselves and one another.

Schroeder ended her interview with an eye toward hope: “We often say that Juneau is an amazing community. I think this is going to prove it,” said Schroeder.

Listen to the full interview here:

We are looking to you to share personal stories on how you’re spending your days, and reflections or poetry or music about life in these strange times. Recordings should be 3 minutes or less, and no politics please. Due to the segment’s popularity, we’ve created a new Community Connection page.

Here is an example from writer and retired physician Mo Longworth:

And here is an example from storyteller Tom Cosgrove:

Tom is also open to story coaching. He can be reached to tomcoz@alaska.net.

Instructions for submitting to Community Connection:

1. Find a quiet place.

2. Take smartphone out of its case. (Cases can obscure the microphones.)

3. On an iPhone, go to:
Settings,
Voice Memo,
Audio Quality,
And choose “Lossless.” (On other devices, avoid MP3s or compressed files. We want “Lossless” or “Uncompressed.”)

4. Put the phone on airplane mode so no one will call in the middle of your recording.

5. Open Voice Memos, start a new recording.

6. Hold phone about 6 inches from your mouth with the bottom, where the microphones are, facing you.

7. Pivot the phone to the side at about a 45-degree angle. This will reduce the breath from plosives (like Ps and Bs) hitting the microphone.
Stop recording when done (3-minute maximum), and take phone off airplane mode.

8. Press the share icon and email to: juneauafternoon@ktoo.org

9. Email a one- to three-sentence self bio and a photo of yourself to juneauafternoon@ktoo.org and tell us how to pronounce your name.

Scott Burton hosts on Monday, March 23, 2020.

(due to a technical problem, audio is not available for this show)

Therapist Kira Phillips will give us strategies for maintaining good mental health. We’ll share the latest voices from our new Community Connection segment.
And we’ll continue our live updates with Mayor Weldon and City Manager Watt.

That’s Monday at 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM or KTOO.org, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM or KRNN.org.

Tune in tonight to KTOO Juneau at 7:00 p.m. for the New Yorker Radio Hour, rescheduled from last Thursday.

Scott Burton hosts on Friday, March 20, 2020.

On Friday’s show, we’ll hang out with musician Stephen Blanchett, hear some of his new tunes, and talk about adjusting to strange times.

For Foodie Friday, KTOO’s Ryan Cunningham will share his research on Juneau’s take-out and delivery food options.

We’ll continue our live check-ins with Mayor Weldon and City Manager Watt.

And we’ll introduce a new segment called Community Connection where we play your voices on Juneau Afternoon.

Instructions for submitting to Community Connection:

1. Find a quiet place.

2. Take smartphone out of its case. (Cases can obscure the microphones.)

3. On an iPhone, go to:
Settings,
Voice Memo,
Audio Quality,
And choose “Lossless.” (On other devices, avoid MP3s or compressed files. We want “Lossless” or “Uncompressed.”)

4. Put the phone on airplane mode so no one will call in the middle of your recording.

5. Open Voice Memos, start a new recording.

6. Hold phone about 6 inches from your mouth with the bottom, where the microphones are, facing you.

7. Pivot the phone to the side at about a 45 degree angle. This will reduce plosives or breath hitting the microphone.
Stop recording when done (3-minute maximum).

8. Take your phone off of airplane mode. Re-title the recording with your name. Press the share icon and email to: juneauafternoon@ktoo.org

9. Email a one- to three-sentence self bio to juneauafternoon@ktoo.org and tell us how to pronounce your name.

 

That’s Juneau Afternoon on Friday at 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM or KTOO.org, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM or KRNN.org.

Sheli DeLaney hosts on Thursday, March 19, 2020.

On Thursday’s show, President Peterson of Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska will fill us in on COVID-19-related operations.

Life coach Christina Michelle will speak to us about mindfulness, and distress-tolerance skills to practice in these challenging times.

Film buff Collette Costa will give us her curated list of movies we can watch at home.

And we’ll check in with Mayor Weldon and City Manager Rorie Watt for our daily CBJ update.

That’s Juneau Afternoon on Thursday at 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM or KTOO.org, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM or KRNN.org.

Sheli DeLaney hosts on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

On Wednesday’s show, Juneau’s public libraries will tell us how to access audio books and other free, online resources we can enjoy at home.

Scientists will outline a geophysical data collection project planned for this summer in Southeast Alaska waters.

And we’ll continue our COVID-19-related updates with Mayor Weldon and City Manager Watt.

That’s Juneau Afternoon on Wednesday at 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM or KTOO.org, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM or KRNN.org.