It’s been almost a month since our beautiful coastal area took the brunt of hurricane Harvey. Each and everyone one of us has been affected in one way or another. Thankfully, our area is receiving resources to survive, clean up and start to rebuild. Communities are pulling together, neighbors are helping neighbors and caring strangers are becoming new friends.
 
We’ve seen the worst of Harvey and the best of humanity.   

We must acknowledge that our mental health has been impacted by this disaster. Especially if you rode out the storm or when you first came back and saw the damage to your beautiful town. Evacuees sat glued to TVs/Facebook around the clock watching in shock and not knowing if they had a home or job left. Many survived without electricity, sewer and city water. Many are now battling with insurance companies or FEMA only to be denied help. Many have lost everything.
 
An ocean of tears were collectively cried and our hearts were broken.  

Despite all of that, we are trying to remain positive and thankful, even as we are surrounded by destruction and piles of debris. To recover in a healthy way, we must take proactive and intentional actions. This will help us rise stronger and heal our broken hearts.
 
Each of you is important to rebuild our towns. Everyone matters.
 
After a disaster, it’s common for people to stay so busy with clean up, rebuilding, insurance, etc. that they ignore their mental and physical health. We must remember they are equally important and ignoring one of them, will eventually impact the other negatively.
 
Why am I writing this and urging you to take care of yourself?
 
Research shows there is an increase in substance abuse and mental health disorders in the years after a community goes through a natural disaster. I do NOT want to see this happen to us.

Acknowledging our thoughts and emotions and talking about the impact of this disaster is important. Stuffing emotions, numbing them with substances or pretending they aren’t there, will only lead to new problems down the road. The emotions intensify with time and spill into our work and home lives in negative ways, often as anger or depression. 
 
Taking time to care for our body/mind is crucial to healthy recovery from Harvey's impact. If we don’t do this, we could see an increase in depression, anxiety/panic disorders, stress related illnesses, addiction, complex grief and PTSD.
 
Harvey has taken enough from us, let’s not give him more.
 
Please read the following sections for more information and suggestions. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and take care of yourself, your future thanks you.

Common symptoms, issues, reactions after going through a disaster:

• Feeling physically and mentally drained,
• Difficulty making decisions, maintaining focus or remembering things.
• Becoming easily frustrated, feeling overwhelmed or confused.
• Arguing more with family and friends. Feeling irritated and blaming others.
• Having too much energy or none at all.
• Having difficulty talking about what happened or listening to others talk about it.
• Having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping too much.
• Using alcohol, drugs or addictive behaviors to numb distressing feelings or forget.
• Having difficulty accepting help or helping others
• Wanting to be alone, isolating from others.
• Feeling like you’re on an emotional roller coaster or feeling completely numb.
• Feeling sad, crying frequently or having outbursts of anger.
• Eating more or less than normal, eating for comfort.
• Worrying a lot.
• Physical symptoms: headaches, stomachaches, feeling ill, body pain, being startled easy.
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Tips for coping in a healthy way:

• One of the most important things we can do is to acknowledge that we have a variety of emotions over what has happened. When we can admit this and let ourselves feel these emotions, they start to be processed. It is NOT weakness to have emotions, it’s normal. It takes strength to identify and feel your emotions. 
• We shouldn't compare our losses, it never helps anyone. We have all lost something; a home, feeling of safety, pet, job, memento, peace of mind, time, money, routines etc. Grief is a normal and natural emotional reaction to any loss. Acknowledge your losses, don’t dismiss them, minimize them or compare them. It was important to you and that matters.
• Since Harvey, you may feel increased anxiety when it rains or the winds increase. Your brain is now associating this weather with the trauma of the hurricane. Practice deep breathing if this occurs to send a message to your brain to calm down. Remind yourself that you are safe and these symptoms do not mean another hurricane is coming. 
• Body movement is helpful to release the buildup of stress hormones. Exercise once daily or in smaller amounts throughout the day. If you don’t like exercise, do stretching or practice meditation.
• Take deep breaths from your belly, practice throughout the day for at least 3-5 mns each time. Deep breathing can move stress out of your body and provide a feeling of calm. It can also help stop a panic attack.
• Practice self-compassion and be kind to yourself. You've just gone through a extremely stressful event. Remind yourself that you’ve gotten through difficult times in the past and you will get through this too. 
• Start resuming pre-disaster activities where/when possible, we need a sense of normalcy back in our lives.
• Talk with others who can relate and support how you feel. Share your experience, listen to their experiences. Do not share with those that are incapable of supporting you on an emotional level, it will only bring more pain or frustration.
• Listen to music to help your body relax naturally. Create a relaxing playlist for yourself. Chose an “anthem” song, something that inspires you to keep going!
• Pay attention to your physical health by managing the basics. Get enough sleep each day, don’t leave relaxing/resting for the weekend, you cannot make up lost sleep. Eat regularly and choose healthy meals and snacks. Make sure to drink plenty of water.
• Avoid excessive alcohol or the use of drugs to relax, numb or escape the increased stress. The affect is temporary, doesn't solve the problem and in the long run, you may wind up with a much bigger problem. 
• Break larger tasks into smaller chunks and prioritize your to dos with an A, B or C; this can reduce feelings of overwhelm. Remind yourself how much has already been accomplished. Take things one at a time. Live one day at a time.
• Let yourself give help and also receive help from others. Remind yourself that everyone is dealing with more stress right now and by helping each other we can all start to heal.
• Pay attention to the amount of time spent reading or watching disaster-related media. The constant replays can make our thoughts and emotions more depressed or anxious, only adding to the trauma we've already experienced. If it's increasing negative symptoms, cut back and/or take a break for a while. Listen to your body. 
• Each day remind yourself of what you didn't lose, of what Harvey couldn't take and that you can be thankful for. Gratitude is great for body, mind and soul!
  
  

If you or someone you know is struggling with increased mental health symptoms that are not improving with time, please reach out for help, the sooner the better. If it’s an emergency and their life is in danger, please call 911 immediately.
 
Disaster Distress Helpline (24/7 talk/text, Spanish available)          1-800-985-5990 (text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7)                                           1-800-273-8255
Bayview Behavioral Hospital (inpatient)                                                  361-986-8200
Linda MacIsaac LPC, LCDC (counseling in Rockport)                             361-238-0431  lindamacisaac.com
Facebook: If you are interested in more hurricane related recovery information in the coming months, my business FB is: Professional Counseling Linda MacIsaac LPC, LCDC, Rockport

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© Linda MacIsaac. All rights reserved 2017. May share article exactly as written.