Relocation and Stress
Unplanned evacuations during a disaster can cause great stress on a community
and on the individuals in that community.
Some of the stressful factors related to sudden evacuations are the following:
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disruptions of daily life routines,
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separation from family, friends, and coworkers,
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worries about the condition of homes and community,
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concerns about pets,
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loss of family pictures and special items, and
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difficulties getting around in a new location.
The stress of evacuation can lead to feelings of isolation in the new location
and of being neglected by society and government. Evacuees also may feel there
was not adequate time to prepare for the evacuation.
First steps of recovery
Recovering from a disaster occurs in phases over days, weeks, and months. Soon
after being uprooted by a disaster, you can start the recovery process. Right
now, there are three general steps you can take to improve the mental and
emotional strength of your family. The following steps will help you to begin
to retake control over your life:
Step 1: Rebuild physical strength and health
Once you and your loved ones are in a safe and secure place, whether a shelter,
a new apartment, or a place with relatives or friends, make sure to tend to
their immediate medical needs, if any. Be sure everyone has enough to eat and
drink to regain their physical strength. Make sure everyone gets some restful
sleep in as private a space as possible. Rebuilding physical strength is a good
first step to calm shattered emotions.
Step 2: Restore daily activities
Restoring daily routines helps build a sense of being home mentally and
emotionally, even in the absence of a physical home. Simple routines that your
family normally does together, such as family walks, watching television, and
bedtime stories, help pull the pieces of daily life back together even in a new
place. Restoring daily activities rebuilds the normal sense of morning,
afternoon, evening, and night. Even though you are away from home and in a
strange place, try to resume the daily routines as much as possible.
Step 3: Provide comfort
Family members are better able to deal with the stress of relocation when they
are comfortable and informed. Comfort can be increased by
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providing your family with information about other family, friends, and news of
home;
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expressing affection for family members, in the ways your family normally shows
affection; and
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discussing, when ready, the emotions associated with the disaster and
relocation, such as feelings of loss, missing home, and worry about family
members, friends, and pets.
Rebuilding family life
After the initial emergency has passed and the shock and confusion from
disaster relocation have subsided, the physical rebuilding and long-term
emotional recovery phase begins. This longer recovery phase has two steps:
1. Assess all physical and emotional losses the family has
experienced. This inventory can help you identify practical actions to take in
rebuilding the physical losses the family has experienced.
2. Develop an emotional understanding of the disaster
experience and your relocation situation to help rebuild family life. Working
through emotions takes time. There is no set timeframe or stages for it.
Resolving emotions is a natural healing process that relies on talking to
friends about your feelings, mental sorting of emotions, and receiving
practical and emotional help from family, friends, your place of worship, or
other organized support groups in the community.
ATSDR - Relocation Stress
Emotional healing
Your personal support groups can help you process your emotions and understand
your experiences. Emotional processing involves experiencing the emotions
associated with the disaster and figuring out what the disaster meant to your
life. One way that many people work through their emotions is by "telling the
story" of what happened. Many people who have lived through a disaster or
terrorist attack have an overwhelming urge to tell the story over and over
again. By sharing stories, you and those around you can sort out the sequence
of events associated with the hurricane, which at first may be a confused
jumble. By telling the story, you can get input from others about what they saw
and begin to put meaning into the experience.
Generally, over time, as you heal emotionally, the hurricane story will pull
together into an organized story that will have vivid details, emotions, and
reflections about lessons learned during the experience. With emotional
healing, thoughts and dreams about the disaster will be less painful. You will
have gained some emotional distance from the events of the disaster. How long
this process takes depends on what happened during the disaster and your own
unique mental and emotional makeup. You will always associate some pain with
the hurricane, but it will not be so overwhelming after the passage of time
allows for emotional healing.
Signs that professional help is needed
Signs that the person is overwhelmed by their emotions and may need help are:
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the story is too painful to tell,
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the person creates a wall of silence around the event for a long time,
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If the person cannot express or experience their feelings,
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dreams and thoughts of the experience continue to evoke very painful emotions
that do not go away
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the person's behavior dramatically changes, and
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the person has thoughts of hurting themselves or others.
If these signs are present, an appointment with a mental health professional
should be arranged. A mental health professional can help with the healing
process. One source of help is the crisis helpline listed at the end of this
material.