Author: By Daniel Dodgen, Director of the Division for At-Risk, Behavioral Health & Community Resilience, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
People around the country have experienced a lot of stressful events over the past year - from Hurricane Sandy and the Boston bombing to tornadoes and wildfires. There are certain things you can do to help reduce your stress from any kind of disaster. The best way to reduce stress is to be as prepared as you can, but there are also things you can do after an incident to reduce your stress.
If you are a parent or you are around kids, like in a daycare, monitor media consumption, especially for small kids. The images seen over and over again can be disturbing even if they are not directly impacted or are not directly at risk. Small children often think the event is happening over and over again; they don’t realize it is the same event shown multiple times.
Also, maintain a schedule as much as possible but not so much that it interferes with your overall recovery. Give yourself permission to be flexible. And remember, kids take cues from their parents and the adults around them so if you can stay calm or shield kids from seeing the direct impact of the disaster, they will feel less stressed.
For yourself as adult, take care of yourself so you can take care of others; monitor how you’re doing and try as best you can to get regular food, exercise, and sleep. If you find yourself being short-tempered or impatient, it could be that you are more stressed than you realize. Take a step back and think about things you have done in the past to cope and revisit some of those.
Some people need to talk about it but that varies. If talking about things helps you, reach out to a friend or a counselor or someone who has been through a similar experience. You can call the Disaster Distress Helpline, too, and get connected with a counselor. Ask for help from your family, your place of worship, or organizations in your community.
If you are a caregiver to others, maybe an older relative or someone with a disability, there are additional things to think about. Is the person dependent on electricity or hearing aid batteries? So (to degree you can) plan as much as you can before the event and you’ll be in better shape after the event. Have a plan to back up battery or getting to recharge place other than hospital. Is it possible to have a non-electric temporary substitute as a backup? If the person you are caring for is incontinent, you would want to have a supply of Depends (or a similar product) so they are not dealing with shame in addition to the crisis itself.
Remember, people with disabilities can participate in their own preparedness. Work with them to figure out “what five things can I not live without and what can I do in an emergency to be sure that I have those things?” Keep an eye on their stress and do what you can to help reduce it, including staying calm and taking care of yourself.
Stress makes health conditions worse and people who are stressed do not recover as fast. Think in advance what you can do to reduce those stresses for the people around you. Could be there is a neighbor that needs help and you could check in on them. If there is an evacuation order, run next door and make sure the neighbor is ok and that they have a plan for evacuating.
We are part of a community and need to help each other out. Helping other people actually reduces our own stress.
And during a disaster, if you need someone to talk with, consider calling the Disaster Distress Helpline to connect with trained counselors in your area.
