Dealing with the Mental & Emotional Impact of a Bushfire

WHAT A WAY TO START 2020! YOU MADE PLANS TO TAKE A SUMMER HOLIDAY, OR MAYBE A STAYCATION. RELAXING AT HOME, TAKING SOME TIME OUT TO READ A BOOK, SLEEPING IN AND CATCHING UP ON SOME WELL EARNT REST AFTER A HECTIC 2019. AND… WELL, YOU SIMPLY NEVER GOT THE CHANCE.

Instead, you were on high alert, eyes constantly glued to the Vic Emergency App or listening to ABC News or radio. Some of you had to evacuate on more than one occasion, experiencing the difficult task of packing prized possessions, documents and animals to transport to a safe haven. Unfortunately, for others they were struck with the cruellest blow, losing everything to the fires.

Every resident of Gippsland has been impacted by the bushfires either directly or indirectly. The state of heightened stress, emotion, fear and loss has penetrated the fabric of our community. Each person has experienced some feeling or emotion through this time. From breakdown to resilience and anywhere in between.

It is common to react to a natural disaster and experience a variety of emotions. It is important that we acknowledge our emotions and deal with any imbalances recognised in our family, friends, neighbours, workmates, community or ourselves. What is paramount is that we seek the support that we and others need at this time.

SOME COMMON REACTIONS AND EMOTIONS MAY INCLUDE:

• Feeling stressed or overwhelmed
• Unable to focus, loss of work productivity, or increase in mistakes, forgetfulness
• Difficulty sleeping, bad dreams related to the bushfires
• Feeling overwhelming guilt or remorse
• Feeling detached from others and isolating oneself
• Consuming alcohol, cigarettes or drugs as a coping mechanism
• Feeling agitated, outbursts to loved ones or work colleagues
• Panic symptoms or chronic stress - fast heartrate, increase blood pressure, shallow breathing, dizziness, gut disturbances.

If your daily functioning is affected or if you are witnessing someone who is acting in a manner which is unusual to their daily routine or personality. If they are not their “normal, selves”, check in, offer support, and refer them to a GP or mental health professional. It is ok to not be ok. It is not ok to ignore it.

When we are in a state of stress for lengthy periods, our bodies are at a continual heightened response. Chronic stress can become the new norm and we may not even recognise how it is affecting our physical, mental or emotional health. It is important to listen to friends and family that may acknowledge our behaviour as out of character or listen to the work colleague that comments about our loss of enthusiasm. External
warnings or cues provide feedback that alerts us to the potential of our internal system being out of balance.

WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE ARE OUT OF BALANCE?

Connection

Connecting with those we love is priority: When we connect with a loved one, a hug, talking, touching we release a hormone called oxytocin that has an inbuilt de-stress mechanism. Dilating blood vessels reducing the symptoms of stress, the fast heart and high blood pressure. Giving us a surge of feel good hormones that help us to relax, calm down and feel happy.

Talk

Talking is healthy and helps us to release emotions and process the events we have experienced. Talking about feelings, talking about what happened and what you experienced promotes the recovery process. Talk to friends, family, work colleagues or if needed talk to your local GP or healthcare professional.

Time

Take the time you need for yourself. Take the time to talk when you are ready, take time away from added pressures or extra tasks. Continue with your routine but focus on activities that promote rest, health and well-being. There is no hurry, no stress, no pressure, take all the time you need.

Rest

The stress of a natural disaster drains our physical, mental and emotional energy. It is important to take the time to rest. To stimulate the rest and digest response and bring the body back into a normal homeostatic balance post the bushfire stress. Meditation, listening to music, sleeping, all help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system encouraging the internal healing of cell rejuvenation, immune system stimulation and
digestion reabsorption. In other words, our bodies can go back to a healthy default.

Plan

Set realistic goals that keep you motivated, but do not take on too much. Have a plan to maintain positive changes and plans to deal with times of stress or reminders of the trauma. This event will stick in your memory for a lifetime, what is important is how you perceive and deal with it ongoing that promotes a healthy resilience and a healthy YOU.