Self-care tips for survivors of calamities

Things to remember when trying to understand disaster situations caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng:

1. All of us who saw and experienced the havoc brought about by these two typhoons (direct or indirect victims) were touched by these disaster events.

2. It is not abnormal to feel anxious about you and your family’s safety following a disaster.

3. Sadness, grief and anger are all normal reactions to an abnormal disastrous event.

4. Becoming aware, identifying and acknowledging our feelings will help us recover from the traumatic event.

5. It is also helpful in the healing process if we can look into our strengths and abilities.

6. Life has to move on. Accepting help from community programs and resources is healthy.

7. People have different needs and different ways of coping with a traumatic event.

8. It is common to become angry and develop a desire to strike back at people who have caused great pain or to look for people to blame for causing the flash floods. But really, nothing good is accomplished by such foul and hateful language or actions.

Signs that adult survivors of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng may need stress management assistance:

1. Difficulty translating emotions into words.

2. Difficulty sleeping or interrupted sleep.

3. Difficulty maintaining balance.

4. Irritability or easily frustrated.

5. Increased use of drugs and/or alcohol.

6. Poor attention span.

7. Poor work performance.

8. Headaches/stomach aches.

9. Colds or flu-like symptoms.

10. Confusion or disorientation.

11. Poor concentration.

12. Ambivalence or reluctance to leave home.

13. Sadness.

14. Feelings of hopelessness.

15. Mood-swings.

16. Crying easily.

17. Overwhelming guilt and self-doubt.

18. Phobia or fear of crowds, strangers or being alone.

Ways to help relieve the stress:

1. Disclose your feelings of anger, sorrow and other emotions, even though initially it may be difficult.

2. Do not blame yourself for the disastrous event or do not get frustrated because you feel that you cannot help directly in the rescue work.

3. Initiate steps to promote your own physical and emotional healing by staying active in your daily routine life patterns or by adjusting them. This healthy outlook will help yourself and your family. (It will help to eat healthy, rest, exercise, relax and meditate.)

4. Maintain a normal household and daily routine and limit demanding responsibilities of yourself and your family.

5. Find time to be with family and friends.

6. Participate in memorials, rituals and use of symbols as a way to express feelings.

7. Explore and make use of existing support groups among family, friends and religious or civic groups in your community.

8. Make a family emergency plan. Developing the confidence and feeling that there is something that you can do can be very comforting.

Get professional help if self-help strategies are not helping you especially if you already find yourself using drugs and/or alcohol in order to cope with the acute stress reactions following the calamity brought by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Government hospitals with psychiatry departments like the Philippine General Hospital (554-8400), the National Center for Mental Health (531-9001), East Avenue Medical Center (928-0611), Rizal Medical Center (671-9740) and the Region I Medical Center (075 515-8448) have free psychiatric consultations for survivors of traumatic events.

(For questions on love, looks and relationships, e-mail me at ninahalili_allure2001@yahoo.com or at nina.halilijao@gmail.com.)