Everyone needs to take a proactive approach to keeping safe. You
may have helped friends and family devise a household emergency
plan, but have you thought about how you will cope and look after
yourself emotionally?
People experienced a range of emotions in reaction to their
experience of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires. Some people reported
feeling numb and anxious, while others talked about an increase in
being grumpy and irritable, being more emotional, and having
difficulty settling back into a normal daily routine after such
disruption.
For some people these feelings have now passed, but for others
they continue to linger. Either way, experiencing another possible
bushfire season may trigger a new range of emotions or may worsen
what they are already feeling.
For some, watching new fires nearby or on TV can create a sense
of anxiety and fear; while for others the sight or smell of smoke
may trigger memories or fears about their own personal safety, and
the safety of friends and family. Even the TV ads promoting fire
awareness and preparation might trigger some people's fears.
While we cannot always stop the fires, we can put some emotional
safety measures in place, just like we do for our physical safety.
Looking after your emotional health can help you to better cope
with the effects of another possible bushfire season. It can also
help to reduce the impact of any trauma on you in the longer
term.
Being prepared, knowing how to respond to a bushfire stress and
then identifying key survival tips can help our emotional health.
Here is one way to put some emotional safety measure in place.
Get ready
Understand that you may have a range of physical and emotional
reactions to particular bushfire triggers (eg. seeing fire,
smelling smoke). Try to recall your previous experience and note
how you felt. Some people will talk about how their heart started
racing and their breathing got difficult, while others may remember
thinking "I can't get out, what's going to happen to me, where is
my mum/dad?
While these are normal reactions to stress they can make it
difficult for you to take positive steps to look after yourself.
Knowing how you might react can help you to work out how to manage
these feelings if they come back.
Know what you will do
Identifying how you might react and feel comes first, you then
need to jot down some ideas about how you might manage these
feelings/reactions.
Write these ideas down and perhaps even practice them to be sure
you know what you need to do if you are in a time of stress.
Obviously if you are in immediate fire danger you need to ensure
your physical safety, but many of these measures could help you as
you prepare to leave, while you are travelling in the car or when
you have reached a safe place.
What might you do to slow your breathing?
Slowly breath in until the count of 5, hold the breath for 5 and
then breath out. Repeat until you find your breathing more settle
and relaxed.
What might you do to relax your muscles?
Working from your feet to your head slowly tense each body part,
hold and then release. Work your way up the body, bit by bit, until
you feel your body relaxing.
What might you do to change your thoughts to be more positive
and focused?
Learn/write down some key phrases like 'relax, I am coping. I
need to be calm to keep myself safe'. Repeat these to yourself when
you feel yourself getting stressed.
Practicing all three of these techniques should help you to
return to a calm state for a period of time. While these things may
not sound that helpful, making sure your body is calm and your
thoughts are clear can actually help you to make better decisions
in stressful times.
If family/friends around you are also struggling to cope perhaps
you could talk to them about what you are doing to try to stay
focused. Talking about it and working together may also help you
both to stay calm.
Look after yourself
When the risk of fire has gone it is important to review how you
are feeling and what you might need to do to live with the
experience. Depending upon your personal bushfire experience you
may need a little or a lot of support.
Whatever you need there are supports around to help you through.
If you want to talk about your experience, talking with friends or
family might be a good place to start, but there are also
counsellors around to help too. Your local community will also have
a range of supports available to help you sort out any practical
issues.
When you prepare for a bushfire season it is important to do all
the recommended physical preparations but it can also help to
develop an emotional coping plan. This plan will not mean you will
not have the feelings associated with a traumatic experience, but
the intensity and duration of the feelings may be lessened by your
proactive approach.
Taking care of yourself is about looking after your physical and
emotional needs. If you need some help preparing or recovering from
a bushfire there are a range of supports available for you.
February 2009 Victorian 'Your Bushfire Space' was made
possible thanks to the generous support of the Victorian Bushfire
Appeal Fund and has been developed in collaboration with the
Victorian Department of Health