Natural Disasters, Depression and Stress: How to Handle Emotions After Nature Strikes

Natural disasters ranging from hurricanes, tornadoes and floods to earthquakes, wildfires and tsunamis are making headlines with great regularity. Those who have been impacted, both directly and from afar via news programs or having a loved one in a danger zone, are too many to count.

It is quite common after going through a natural disaster to feel overwhelmed, helpless and vulnerable. You may also feel shocked and in denial, both of which are typical responses to large-scale natural disasters, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), particularly shortly after the event.

But once the imminent danger, shock and loss have already occurred and passed, any number of emotions may come to the surface. Among the most common, normal responses, according to APA, are:

• Feeling anxious, nervous, depressed or irritable
• Experiencing intense, unpredictable feelings
• Trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Flashbacks that occur at random and cause rapid heartbeat and sweating
• Fears that the disaster will be repeated
• Increased conflict or arguments in your interpersonal relationships
• Become withdrawn and isolated, and avoiding your usual activities
• Physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and chest pain

Just how long these difficult emotions persist depends in large part on the severity of the disaster. If there was loss of life or significant loss to property it generally takes longer to overcome the trauma, although your ability to cope with emotionally challenging situations in general will also influence your recovery.

This is where The Sedona Method can help you to move forward and regain emotional well-being by teaching you how to release your fear, anxiety and grief.

“You cannot control nature, so the first thing to release is your desire to control what is uncontrollable,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates.

“Also, remember that nature is not attacking or disturbing your routine personally. Often when we are suffering do to external circumstances -- whether or not they are in our control -- it is because we are taking them personally. The more you release the sense that the disaster is somehow personal, the happier and healthier you will be.”

The Sedona Method works two ways. First it guides you into accepting the event that happened, and then it nudges you to let it go. When you realize that you don’t have to hold onto the emotional impacts of the natural disaster, you become truly free to move forward.

“If you become embroiled in wanting to control how other people are being impacted by disasters or if you make them too personal it can be quite depressing,” Dwoskin says. “Yet this is easily released if you decide to take responsibility for how you feel and then take whatever action is appropriate to support yourself or anyone else who is experiencing a natural disaster. The more you release about what has happened, the more you will feel safe and naturally do what is best for yourself and others.”

Source
APA Help Center