Natural disasters are another name for unforeseen situations. No one can predict the occurrence of such incidents or their aftermath. But foresightedness can go a long way to prepare you for any instance that might occur. Disasters are upsetting and can impact people most negatively. Disasters can lead to mental distress and can cause damage and loss of life, property, and happiness. Proper disaster management is mandatory, and people need to stay calm during such situations.
Let’s understand disastrous calamities:
- Every person who is in the vicinity of a natural disaster is affected by it in some way or the other.
- People tend to become anxious about their safety and that of their family, and this feeling is normal.
- Profound anger, grief, and anxiety are plausible reactions to catastrophes and every individual in the scene can experience it.
- Acknowledging the negative emotions can be helpful in coping with the adverse situation.
Children and senior citizens are affected the most by natural calamities and need particular attention. People who learn about the incident from a virtual medium like media coverage or radio can also get severely affected.
The first thing to do when natural disasters like volcanoes, hurricanes or earthquakes occur is to seek help from the nearest hospital or police station. If nothing is an available option, then one must call help-lines, voluntary organizations or rescue departments. This will ensure minimum life loss. Additionally, the local state government and FEMA can provide assistance and crisis counseling to every victim of the situation.
A natural disaster can have an everlasting impact on the sanity and mind of any individual no matter how healthy he or she has been throughout their life.
Immediately seek counseling and mental health treatment to recover faster from post-disaster trauma. Suggest the same to your family members and friends. A counseling session with a professional will speed up the process of getting back to a healthy lifestyle. Here is a list of some of the after-effects of disaster and stress related to the same.
- Issues to communicate thoughts or converse regularly
- Sleep Deprived
- Difficulty in keeping a balance between the daily activities
- Extremely low level of patience and the limited threshold of frustration
- Negligible attention span and limited concentration
- Substandard performance and zero productivity
- Stomach issues and acute headache at all times
- Mood swings and anger pangs
- Depression and perpetual sadness
- A prolonged feeling of hopelessness
There are some generic ways to deal with the ill effects of such traumatic incidents. People should always try to communicate with anyone they trust and confide in. This will help release the suppressed negative emotions and thoughts that cause fear.
Seeking help from professionals who have expertise in post-disaster stress management can provide the best remedy for trying situations such as these.
Spending quality time with friends and family, and reliving happy memories can also prove to be increasingly helpful during such times.
Plan and step towards healing yourself by eating healthy, exercising, resting and indulging in activities that render happiness.
Try to maintain the normal life routine that you followed before the calamity occurred. This will help you calm and prevent scarring memories from crossing your mind.
Be a part of a support group if necessary and share your story with people who have gone through the same. Like-mindedness will ensure a speedy recovery.
As mentioned above, children and senior citizens are profoundly affected by natural disasters so lets a look at how we can help them deal with it:
- Parents must make them feel they are safe and nothing is going to harm them as long as they are around elders.
- Senior citizens need the reassurance that no one will abandon them during such a time and family members need to be around them at all times.
- Children can show symptoms of bedwetting, insomnia, aggression, issues in their school and much more. It is advisable to take them for counseling if such symptoms are noticed.
Always try to stick together with your family and friends during a disaster and try to think logically.