Ways to Cope with Earthquake Anxiety
Condolences to all our nation. In these painful days when we experienced the earthquake disaster, many of us faced the earthquake reality that we forgot from time to time. We felt the pain we witnessed in the depths of our hearts. We are sad. And we were worried about our future. However, these experiences have caused many of us to worry that the earthquake will happen at any moment and have anxious thinking problems.
Anxious thoughts are manifested by behavioral symptoms such as intense pessimism, stress, distraction, and sleep disturbance. For those who have had traumatic experiences of earthquakes in the past, these are many times more experienced, and they can negatively affect daily life. However, we can say that in this period of increasing anxiety and uncertainty about the future, anxiety and worries make our lives difficult for all of us. However, if you are naturally overly pessimistic, you are more likely to experience such problems than other people in the same situation.
The methods and techniques we will talk about here are helpful tools that you can use to cope with the anxiety, worry and stress caused by the earthquake. It is not therapeutic and will not provide permanent solutions for some of us. If you are experiencing anxiety problems that affect your daily life deeply these days, I recommend that you see a specialist doctor. In addition, if you have recently had a traumatic experience with the earthquake or have suffered a significant loss, it would be appropriate to seek psychological support.
Earthquake anxiety can have a more devastating impact on our lives than other types of anxiety, as it is deeply linked to our need for survival. Therefore, it should be taken seriously and approached with sensitivity. Now let's start to consider what we can do about this issue.
Stop Feeding Your Anxiety and Worries
Anxious thoughts are often fed by our social environment. Therefore, first of all, you should stop feeding your worries and worries. If possible, stop the news feed about it. Try to stay away from environments that trigger your anxiety. In particular, minimize the visual information retrieval process. Keep doing this, at least until you get yourself together.
During this period, try to focus your attention and energy on positive things as much as possible. Focus on activities that help you feel good and make time for them. Remember, when you are in this mood of anxiety and worry, you will not be of much use to anyone.
Relax Your Mind
Bu dönemde zihninizi olumsuz düşüncelerden arındırmaya ihtiyacınız vardır. Daha önce bir video eğitim olarak paylaştığım iki yaratıcı imgeleme tekniğini bu amaçla kullanabilirsiniz. “(Clear your mind” ve “Wash Your Brain” tekniklerini sakin ve sessiz bir ortamda uygulamayı deneyin.
Take Control
To cope with negative and worrying thoughts, you need to feel like you are in control of your life. The first thing you need to do is focus on the things that are within your control. Try to direct your thoughts and behaviors to areas where you can make a difference. What do you need to feel safer about the earthquake? What do you do to make you feel safer? Let your answers to these questions be within your control.
There is often no parallel relationship between the likelihood of an alarming outcome occurring in your mind and the level of anxiety you feel. The mind enlarges the possibilities and makes them seem more probable than they actually are. This affects the way we feel. The probability of you being damaged by an earthquake is actually much lower than you think.
If the thought of earthquake equals death has become absolute in your mind, it is necessary to deal with it first. There are hundreds of shades of color between black and white, and there are many possible situations between death and life. Ignoring the endless possibilities that may occur between earthquake and death and establishing a linear connection can make worries and anxieties more wearisome. So by questioning it, you should try to realize how unlikely this linear relationship is to happen.
Earthquake -> Death
——————————————————————-
Earthquake –> Destructive Earthquake –> Being in Building –> Building Demolition –> Being Under Ruined –> Failure to be Rescued –> Death
Let's take the simple natural phenomenon of rain precipitation. If the rainfall is excessive and the necessary precautions are not taken, it can turn into a major flood disaster. It is human faults and negligence that turns the earthquake into a disaster.
When you don't focus on things within your control, you feel like a victim and are overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness. Remember, you are the protagonist of your own life. Try to constantly remind yourself of this.
Those Who Walk Above the Line / From Victim to Hero Transformation Video
Hazırlıklı Olun
Depreme hazırlıklı olduğunuzu bilmek içinizi bir nebze olsun rahatlatabilir. Elbette yüzde yüz hazır olmak diye bir şey söz konusu değildir. Ancak bir deprem ülkesinde yaşadığımızı her daim aklımızda tutmalı, sadece deprem anında değil, deprem düşüncesi zihnimizi sarmaladığında bile, sakin kalabilmeyi başarabilmeliyiz. Zihinsel hazırlığın en önemli parçası budur. Sakin bir zihne geçiş için diyafram nefesi tekniğini kullanabilirsiniz. Bunu uygularken kendinize “her şey yolunda“, “kontrol bende” gibi telkinleri söyleyerek tekrar edin. Bu tekniğin bir uygulamasını alttaki videonun içinde bulabilirsiniz.
Physical preparation starts with creating an action plan where you plan what you will do for and after the earthquake. In this process, you evaluate what you can do for yourself and your family against situations involving almost every possibility. If possible, write them down in writing and try to update them periodically. Finally, if you don't have an earthquake kit yet, don't forget to prepare it.
Focus Shifting Methods
When we are worried, our mind is focused on a negative outcome that may happen in the future. When your mind wanders to pessimistic thoughts about the earthquake and you urgently need to focus on what you are doing, you can try these methods.
(1) When you can't help thinking negatively, say "CANCEL" or "STOP" and clap your hands together. Do something to change your focus physically. For example, wash your face with cold water, start running or sing loudly.
(2) Take a small object, such as a pencil, rubber ball, or similar, and examine it carefully for a few seconds. Hold it in your hand, make a sound, throw it. Taste and smell if possible.
(3) Anxious thoughts have a purpose. These thoughts prompt you to do something about it. Just take five minutes and immediately ask yourself what is the smallest thing you can do about it. If possible, do that action.
(4) If you are not currently in a position to do so, write it down on a piece of paper, promising to take care of it sometime in the future. Sort of, make an appointment with the situation you're worried about.
Anxiety and Worrying Thoughts Opposition Model
If your worrying thoughts about the earthquake have become constant and intense, you can use a method that you can apply yourself over a larger period of time. According to Seligman's (2007) "Oppose" model, realizing that our thoughts are just thoughts, we follow the four steps in order to question their correctness.
“We are just a thought away from feeling good again.” Paul Ferrini
(1) Look for Evidence: The first step to countering negative thoughts is to prove them wrong. Ask yourself, what is the evidence for and against this idea? Most of the time the truth will be on our side. Because we humans love to write disaster scenarios.
(2) Provide Alternative Explanations: The second step is to find alternative explanations. Why not have an alternative explanation of the event that caused your pessimistic thinking? Ask yourself what other explanations might be for this situation. After generating several alternatives, return to step one and review the evidence for each.
(3) Don't Turn Your Inference into a Catastrophe: The third step is to not turn your conclusion into a disaster. So ask yourself, even if the reason for my pessimistic thinking is true, what's the worst that could happen, is it the end of the world? Your negative thinking may also be true. Even if your pessimistic scenario is true, the best thing to do is never turn it into a disaster scenario.
(4) Question Its Usefulness: Most of the time, pessimistic thoughts haunt us at the most vital times. What you need to do in the last step is to question whether it's any good for you to think about that problem right now. For example, you are driving a vehicle and you have catastrophic thoughts about how bad it would be to roll into an earthquake fracture on the road. That wouldn't be good at all, would it? Instead of thinking about it, you are at the moment when you need to fully concentrate. Even the smallest mistake can cost you an accident. In such a case, you can use the focus shifting methods given at the beginning.
Try to apply this four-step “opposition” model and the focus shifting methods we suggested earlier to your worrying pessimistic thoughts. You will see that it works.
Be Action-Oriented
The most effective way to deal with worrying thoughts is to be action-oriented. Taking action and being on the go is the surest solution to relieve anxiety. In this topic, you can apply a model that consists of three steps. Name the thing that worries you first. Define exactly why you are concerned. Go to step two and try to do just a little something about it. This effort need not completely solve the problem you are worried about; You just need to take a little action on it. The third step is to set a transaction limit for it. For example, you can dedicate only 10 minutes of time to what you are going to do. Just go to work and spend only 10 minutes on it, nothing more. This will make you feel good. When your time is up, stop what you're doing and start dealing with something else.
All these methods and techniques that I have explained so far include practical applications that you can use to relieve your worries and concerns, especially about earthquakes. You should take the time to bring each one into your life and internalize it. When you achieve this, you will feel better and safer in all circumstances. Remember, you only have one life to live.
References:
Martin EP Seligman (2007) Learned Optimism (Trans. Semra Kunt Akbaş) HYB Publishing, Ankara.
Tayfun Topaloğlu (2019) Motivational Genius, Cinius Publications, Istanbul.
Kaygı ve Endişelerle Baş Etmenin Yolları
Ways to Cope with Anxiety and Worries / Optimistic Thinking Techniques
