After a Disaster: Tips for Dealing With Stress

Things to Remember

• No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it.
• It is normal to feel anxious about your family’s safety.
• Profound sadness, grief, and anger are normal reactions to an abnormal event.
• Acknowledging our feelings helps us recover.
• Focusing on our strengths and abilities will help us to heal.
• Accepting help from community programs and resources is healthy.
• We each have different needs and different ways of coping.
• It is common to want to strike back at people who have caused great pain, but nothing good is accomplished by hateful language or actions.

Signs That Someone Needs Stress­Management Assistance

• Difficulty communicating
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty maintaining balance
• Easily frustrated
• Increased use of drugs/alcohol
• Limited attention span
• Poor work performance
• Headaches/stomach problems
• Tunnel vision/muffled hearing
• Colds or flu­like symptoms
• Disorientation or confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Reluctance to leave home
• Depression, sadness
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Mood swings
• Crying easily
• Overwhelming guilt and self­-doubt
• Fear of crowds, strangers, or being alone

Ways to Ease Stress

• Talk with someone about your feeling even though it may be difficult to do so.
• Don’t hold yourself responsible for the disastrous event or be frustrated because you cannot help directly in the rescue work.
• Take steps to promote your physical and emotional healing by staying active in your daily life patterns or by adjusting them appropriately. A healthy outlook will help you and your family.
• Maintain a normal daily routine and limit demands on yourself and your family.
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Participate in memorials and rituals to express feelings.
• Use existing supports groups of family, friends, and religious institutions.
• Establish a family emergency plan. It can be very comforting to know what you can do in case of future emergencies.
• If self-­help strategies are not helping or you find that you are using drugs/alcohol in order to cope, you are may wish to seek outside or professional assistance in dealing with your stress.

Adapted from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration