Emotional And Mental Recovery After Disaster

I have met a a lot of people who have lived through natural disasters, primarily earthquakes. Every one of them experienced anxiety connected with the disaster long afterwards.


It seems to me as if those people have not completely recovered from the disasters they were in. 


The furthest back in time of the disasters that these people experienced was the Alaskan earthquake of 1964. The level of recovery of these people varies a lot, but I believe they all told me something without saying it out loud. "People need some kind of emotional and mental healing from disasters."


I have obliquely covered the subject with posts that included comfort items to include in, "go bags", or "bug out bags", to take along for disaster evacuation. 


Emotional and mental recovery after a disaster is very important and deserves its own post. Even if you do not have a scratch on you and your home even survives intact from a disaster, you are likely to have suffered some injuries that are not obvious. Those must be dealt with for you to have a good recovery from a disaster.


It will be easier for you if you have some sort of plan made to help you recover emotionally and mentally after a disaster. You may or may not need a professional counselor. It may be enough for you and your family to talk to someone like a pastor of your church. 


Charitable organization or NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations), train their workers, both volunteer and paid, to be sensitive to the emotional suffering of the people they are helping. Some of these organizations provide free counselors to help out more. You may want to think about where and how you might find counseling help for yourself and your family after a disaster. 


Here is a list of effects that often happen to people after a disaster:

Normal physical stress responses to traumatic events

The symptoms of traumatic stress are not just emotional—they’re also physical. It’s important to know what the physical symptoms of stress look like, so they don’t scare you. They will go away if you don’t fight them:


Trembling or shaking
Pounding heart
Rapid breathing
Lump in throat; feeling choked up
Racing thoughts
Stomach tightening or churning
Feeling dizzy or faint
Cold sweats


The above is from this site and I think it would be a good idea to take a look at it so you can learn more than I have room for here:
http://helpguide.org/mental/disaster_recovery_trauma_stress_coping.htm


Post Traumatic Stress is normal. People get it after being in battle and they get it after an accident or a disaster. You do not have to suffer from the effects of PTSD for the rest of your life. It is possible to recover. I think this recovery from PTSD is much easier if you make it part of your disaster preparedness.


If you have recently or even not recently been in a disaster and realize that you are still experiencing PTSD, please seek help. You do not have to continue suffering.