Coping with the trauma of a natural disaster is hard for anyone-there can be damage to your home and your environment, and friends and loved ones can be lost. The ones that are usually the most affected are small children.
They have the hardest time dealing with change in most circumstances, and can struggle with the ability to understand what is going on around them. This is why helping them to deal with this trauma is very important, so that they can move forward with their lives.
When nature strikes, often an entire community is impacted, further troubling a child's sense of security and normalcy. These factors present a variety of unique issues and coping challenges, especially if you find that you need to relocate to a new home, or new area.
Your children will look to you to know how to cope with the circumstances around them. They will look to the adults in their lives to know how to react, including teachers, friends, caregivers, and more.
Be sure to listen to their feelings, and allow them to speak their minds. Helping them to understand their own reactions is key-and helping them to feel that what they are feeling is normal can help quite a bit.
Schools can help play an important role is in this process by providing a stable and familiar environment for them to attend on a daily basis. Through the support of caring adults, school personnel can help children return to normal activities and routines, at least as much as is possible during this time.
Their reactions may range, depending on the particular natural disaster that has taken place. Usually hurricanes are predicted days to weeks in advance, giving communities time to prepare-this is better for children.
These predictions give families time to gather supplies, and to prepare. At the same time, however, these activities may make your children feeling anxious and afraid-take the time to explain to them why you are doing things, and help them to stay involved and calm.
The more calm you can remain, the better they will cope with things. When the hurricane does strike, the weather can be very intense and frightening.
Many children experience something like a panic attack when there is a severe storm which frightens them. Make sure that you keep them as calm as possible, and hold them close to you.
Physical contact can do wonders when they are afraid. Trying singing together, or talking about things that they enjoy, to distract them.
The more you can trivialize what is happening, the better they will feel. Be honest with them, but make an effort to stay as positive as possible.
If an earthquake occurs, unfortunately, there will not be time to prepare. Since there is no clearly defined ending to them, the disruptions caused by continued tremors may increase fear and distress in your children.
The lack of an ability to prepare can cause you and your family to feel out of control, which can make it easier to be afraid. Make sure that you have an emergency plan mapped out if you live somewhere where earthquakes are common.
The more you teach your children about them, and what to do if they occur, the better off they will be. They may want to sleep in your bed after the occurrence, which is usually fine for one or two nights.
After that, make sure that they deal with their fear, and move back into their own room. If there has been damage done to your home, allow them to help you clean it up, and replace the things that need it.
The more you can normalize things, the better. Help them to understand that earthquakes are not scary, but actually a good way for the earth to relieve pressure-after one occurs, this usually means that there will not be a need for one for quite a while.
After any kind of trauma, allow them to take as much time as they need to bounce back. Be supportive, and ask them how they are doing frequently-sometimes talking about it can do wonders.
Let them know that it is ok to be afraid, as long as they stand up to those fears and conquer them when they are ready. The experience does not have to be traumatic, if you are there to help them cope.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels has assisted in disaster recovery around the world for years. When it comes to fire damage dallas area, he recommends BELFOR.
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