OLD WOUNDS CAN SURPRISE US ... Please share this where you can. If the post is too long to share, copy and paste into your status bar. With fires burning in NSW and extensive coverage on TV, radio or in newspapers; we may connect them to our own stories personally . We might each have different reactions to what we are seeing/hearing and even a variety of responses at the same time. • At one level it is hard not to be impressed by the scale of what is happening and marvel at how powerless we are when nature throws everything at us. • Some of us will try and imagine what it would be like to be in the middle of it all and will struggle to get our heads around the experience. • Others will know only too well – because they will have been there before. • Some will feel the pride of how Aussies dig in to look after each other at these times – some will dip into their pockets in an attempt to make a difference. • For some who were helped in their own troubles it may feel like ‘giving back’ to those who assisted them. • For some it will trigger off feelings of fear, insecurity and vulnerability ... flashbacks to times when they were in trouble and feared for their lives or the lives of others. What should people do when these feelings are triggered off? • The first thing to do is to accept that this is a normal response and not panic or get anxious if it happens to you. • Secondly; take a reality check for yourself. While it is terrible that these things are happening, they ARE happening elsewhere and you are not under threat yourself. • This sounds simple, but unless there are good reasons for you to keep checking the news on TV or radio it is best to avoid it altogether. The feelings of anxiety and vulnerability are prompted by exposing yourself to the pictures and stories. The same goes for the newspaper – bypass the stories. • Reconnect with the things and the people that helped you previously ... they are already proven. These strategies will be different for each of us ... it may be some quiet time out; enjoying some good music; going to a movie; having a coffee with someone who listens well; some deep breathing; taking a drive to somewhere special. You will know best what will help. • Don’t be afraid it to name it to people you trust ... a lot of the fear goes out of things when we can name them and talk about them. Take the initiative ... people cannot mind-read us. A possibly helpful way to think about what is happening for you is to think about your previous experience of trauma as a deep wound that was inflicted on you. Over time and with the right treatment even serious wounds close over, but they never entirely go away. When old wounds take an unexpected bump (bushfires currently burning in parts of Australia) they may not open up, but they may start to ache a bit ... and we are reminded of the event that inflicted the wound in the first place. When we reconnect with the pain, we do not go back to step 1. Most of us have moved on a long way since then and have done many things to heal ourselves – none of this is lost. The bump and the pain it causes reminds us that we lived through a defining moment in our own lives. Hold onto what you know about survival and recovery and recall the unexpected strengths you found in yourself. All of this may be helpful to keep in mind as we nudge up on the anniversary date in a few weeks. Remember someone to talk to about how YOU are feeling is just a phone call away. EACH - ph. 9871 1800 or your local Community Health Centre. Lifeline ph. 131 114. Beyond Blue ph. 1300 22 4636. Please take care of YOU for your sake and for that of your FAMILY
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:28:31 +0000
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