The Mental Health Foundation has released a short video describing in plain English the typical phases of a recovery journey following a natural disaster, from a wellbeing perspective.
Natural disasters can take a toll on your wellbeing, even long after the event. While everyone’s path to recovery will be different, we know that communities will go through some typical stages, emotions and reactions during this time.
Understanding these stages and learning to recognise them in yourself and others can be reassuring that what you’re going through is normal, following a disaster. It can also help us have empathy and understanding for others in our lives and communities, and help us feel part of a shared experience that we don’t have to go through alone.
The ‘Heroic’ Phase
Adrenaline is running high and carries us through the worst of the immediate disaster. We’re focused on saving each other and property, and doing whatever it takes.
The ‘Honeymoon’ Phase
The weeks and months following disasters, when immediate concerns for safety are gone. We can feel a lot of hope and optimism for the future, including great energy for change and rebuilding. We may feel lucky and grateful and connected to fellow citizens and neighbourhoods, or beginning a grieving process.
The ‘Disillusionment’ Phase
We start to realise how long recovery will take. Things are not moving as quickly as we hoped and many secondary stressors are making themselves felt such as financial pressures, red tape, insurance and rebuilding struggles or setbacks, closure or loss of facilities such as roads, schools, shops or other services.
We may find ourselves experiencing many more big emotions than we might be used to, and sometimes feel overwhelmed by frustration, sadness and anger, while also still feeling lucky, grateful or hopeful.
This can further exhaust us and over the next few years, it’s normal to feel very tired more often. This will be different for everyone. This phase is sometimes known as the ‘long recovery’ - for many people it can take years to work through.
Reconstruction/adaptation
There is usually no hard border between phases and the entire journey is more like a rollercoaster than a straight line. The final phase is the gentle evolution into a ‘new normal’ where we adapt to changed circumstances and construct new lives. We may have new perspectives and learning from the disaster and the recovery, and grown new skills, insights and resilience.
Adaptation is one of humankind’s greatest strengths, often hard-won, but we are all born with the inherent coping skills needed to achieve it. The most important thing to remember is that it is best approached as a team sport rather than an individual responsibility.
To find out more, read the ‘Looking after your mental wellbeing after a natural disaster’ flyer from All Sorts and Te Whatu Ora.
