The Untold Stories: How Natural Disasters Affect Mental Health

Hello fellow hive users, you're all welcome to my blog today on the topic of nature disasters.

Anytime we discuss natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, fires, or storms, we often focus on the damages which it can cause to our buildings, roads, and lives. But there’s something deeper and quieter which we don't talk about which is how natural disaster affects our health. Today, I would like to share with you the untold side of natural disasters: how this thing can easily affect our minds and body.

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Imagine losing your home in a heavy flood maybe seeing your loved ones get traumatized during a storm. Even when the disaster is over and the news continues, many homes are left struggling with fear, sadness, and stress. Their fear doesn't disappear from their minds overnight, instead they continue to feel the pains of what happened.

One of the most severe problems that a victim may face after a disaster is something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). This means the person continues to think about the bad past event, causing bad dreams as if it wants to happen again. They may always feel insecure all the time and avoid to visit places and things that reminds them of the past. Which can make it hard for the victim to live a normal life.

Children are usually affected. A child who survives a fire or earthquake probably becomes very quiet, scared, or finds it difficult to sleep well. They may cling onto their parents all the time or cry all day. Because of this trauma, some children may stop going to school. Because the child is young, they may not know how to communicate about how they feel, and they end up suffering within them.

Adults also go through a lot after the disaster. Losing the home you suffered to build or losing your loved ones can cause a serious heart break. Some people feel frustrated and don’t know where to begin their life again. Some people may feel guilty for surviving while their loved ones are gone. Some begin to drink or take hard drugs just to clear the event from their memory. Many victims feel alone because they assume others won’t understand them.

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Even those people who helped during the disasters probably the doctors,nurses, and rescue workers are not left out of the trauma.They see people in miserable and bad conditions, they work for longer hours, and sometimes some of their patients die during the process of treatment. This would make them feel tired and sad. But when people sees them, they assume that everything is okay with them.

This is why it is always very important to take care of your mental health at the end a disaster. It’s not only fixing roads and rebuilding fallen houses. People need to talk, cry, and discuss their feelings. There should be better spaces where each survivor can quickly get help and support without being judged. Healing the mind is more important as also healing the body.

We also have to teach people that is always okay to ask for help when needed. Feeling bad or afraid after a heavy disaster is normal. It doesn’t show you are weak. It just shows that you are human. Talking to a close friend, joining a support group, probably seeing a counselor who can make a big difference.

In the end, the severe pain caused by unwanted natural disasters is bigger than what we can see on the outside. Many people do carry their pain within them. As we help to rebuild peoples lost homes and communities, we should also not forget to care for the heart and mind of the people that are affected. Because full recovery means feeling secured, strong, and hopeful again both outside and inside.

Thank you for reading.

Posted Using INLEO