What a Therapist Learned from Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian recently devastated Southwest Florida impacting lives physically and mentally. As someone living in the impacted area, I was one of the lucky ones who escaped major damage. However, to be honest, emotionally and mentally it felt like a roller coaster. At times I felt traumatized and my mind whirled into a negative frenzy of catastrophic thoughts. I was aware that this was a good time to practice what I preach.
After the hurricane, my husband and I were temporarily displaced. The state of our home was unknown. Through social media we had learned that there was no power, internet, or water and that the roads were flooded and therefore impassable.
Our minds gravitated to worse scenarios. “We’ve lost everything! We’re homeless! Our storage unit is flooded! We’re going to have to find an airbnb to stay at indefinitely. There goes all our savings! I have to cancel all my patient sessions!” I felt myself slip into the “freeze” part of trauma related to “fight, flight, or freeze.” I didn’t know how I was going to work again. It felt as if there was no way I could listen to other people’s problems and help them anymore.
My husband, who usually falls into anxiety in dire situations, was unusually calm. When I asked him about it, he said, “I’m going into acceptance and focusing on what I need to do right now in the present. I’m putting everything else in a box.” Putting worried thoughts in a box or container is one of the imagery techniques used in EMDR therapy.
After a few days of studying road closures and conditions, we managed to find a way to get home. When we arrived, we realized how lucky we were, as there was no damage to any of our belongings in home or storage. The electricity was out, but it kicked back on that evening. Water had to be boiled, but then the boil water notice was rescinded a few days later. The only major obstacle left was the lack of internet service which prevented us both from working. Since we are both self-employed and work from home, this was stressful for us. But as the days went by, I noticed that it was actually feeling good to have a “forced vacation.” I felt more relaxed not realizing that I had been experiencing burnout for perhaps months.
Now that things are getting back to normal, I can reflect on lessons learned and their therapeutic relevance. For example:
All things are temporary. The stress lifted in a matter of days. My enthusiasm to counsel people returned.
Acceptance is the foundation for moving on. When things are out of control, especially in natural disasters, there’s nothing you can do but accept it, put your worries in a box, and then focus on what you can do in the present moment.
Catastrophizing is toxic to the mind and body. The mind is so powerful that it can shift you into a completely different person. Negative thoughts will deplete you physically, mentally, and spiritually. When we returned home, things were not as bad as we were thinking it would be. Focusing on the worse scenarios was not necessary.
Natural disasters force necessary transition and shine a light on areas in your life where you are not happy. I realized I was working too much. I wasn’t paying attention to my burnout. In the aftermath of the hurricane, I decided to streamline my work schedule and prioritize my self-care.
Victimization feeds avoidance. It can feel satisfying to talk about your woes and share it on social media or feed your mind with negative thoughts. But the more I dwelled on what happened to me, the more I was avoiding taking action, including shifting my mindset.
Meditative activities really do help. For me, it was reading fiction. It was the only thing that relaxed me. As I immersed my mind in books, the rest of the world around me seemed calmer.
These are lessons that anyone could implement in life. You don’t have to wait for a hurricane. It incorporates a holistic way of managing depression, anxiety, trauma, or just feeling stuck in life. Accept the things that are out of your control, focus on the present moment, stop catastrophic thinking, shift out of a victim mindset, recognize the things in your life that are being highlighted that need to change. And maybe just read a book.
