We recently experienced an earthquake that affected our country and left everyone in mourning. Those who experienced the earthquake, those who obtained information through various media at home, children, adults... All citizens had a hard time during this process, both emotionally and physically. What you witness in the news and social media; The events, photographs, feelings and thoughts of the earthquake victims who experienced that earthquake deeply affected us all. There were times when we could not control ourselves while following the news and felt like we were at an impasse.
We were saddened by what happened, we felt helpless and angry because we could only help to a certain extent. You may have experienced normal reactions such as crying spells, sleep problems, and not being able to remember some of the events. On the other hand, not feeling anything is also acceptable during this process. Even though we experience emotional states outside of our normal life, we need to realize that we need to return to normal life after a certain period of time.
We are going through difficult times, the mourning process is quite normal; Still, we must take care to keep our morale high. We should get back to our routine, albeit slowly, and make sure to spend more time with our loved ones. In this process, it is not easy to recognize our negative emotions that we think will harm you and to live by feeling them. However, suppressing them and continuing your life as if nothing happened may cause chronic diseases in the future. 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder', 'Eating Disorders' and 'Schizophrenia'; It can be shown as an example of psychological disorders that may arise in our future lives when you suppress your emotions. For this reason, we must embrace our emotions no matter what happens. But it is very important to maintain balance here. Those emotions should not completely dominate us. We should focus on improving our own mood by accepting our emotions. This makes it easier for us to help people who need help more efficiently.
Keeping your mood high does not mean forgetting and ignoring what happened. On the contrary, we should observe what is happening and learn from it. Since our mood greatly affects our perspective on life, we must keep our psychology strong in order to help other people. Being constantly on guard and living in uncertainty tires you both emotionally and physically. When you come under the influence of these emotions, your focus will be on negative emotions, which will multiply more and make it difficult for you to return to your normal life.
Treatment of earthquake-related trauma may vary across age groups. For example, one-on-one or group sessions with adults; It serves the same purpose as play therapy sessions with young children. It is especially important for parents to manage this process in a calm and balanced manner. Since children easily grasp and understand the feelings and thoughts of their caregivers, it becomes more difficult for them to remain calm and get through this process in environments where they feel negative emotions.
In this difficult process, people who both experienced the earthquake first-hand and experienced it from available sources and were greatly affected by this situation; Getting psychological help as soon as possible has advantages in preventing traumatic, temporary or permanent psychological disorders that may arise in the future. We are experiencing a situation where basic needs such as shelter, food and drink are under threat. This situation causes people to experience fear and stress. If you are safe, getting psychological help should become your second priority. Getting help easily and willingly in this challenging situation will help you get through this process more easily. Sharing what you experience, feel and think with someone will help you feel comfortable and take some of that great responsibility off your shoulders.