Caring for Your Mental Health in a Natural Disaster

By Jessica Hicks
Living through a natural disaster can be devastating. The events can impact your safety and ability to meet your basic needs, and, in some cases, threaten your life and the lives of your friends and family. You may experience displacement, the loss of loved ones, or other distressing events.
It may feel like there is no strategy or coping tip that can make things better. The reality is that what you are going through is overwhelming, and although there is no fix-all solution to such a challenging experience, there are things you can do to support your mental health during and after a natural disaster.
How Can a Natural Disaster Impact Mental Health?
Natural disasters — wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or extreme heat or cold — can cause a wide range of emotions and experiences, from stress and anxiety to constant worry, panic attacks, headaches, stomach issues, and trouble sleeping.
It’s common to have these kinds of emotions and experiences after a series of difficult events. In most cases, your feelings will improve over time and you’ll start to feel more calm, even when thinking about the scary things you went through. However, some people continue having distressing symptoms that don’t go away, and a health care provider may diagnose them with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How to Take Care of Yourself During a Natural Disaster
Prepare as Much as Possible
Natural disasters can happen suddenly, leaving little time to prepare. If you are warned of a severe weather event, take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.
- Pack a go bag in case you need to evacuate. It should include personal documents, medications, food, and other supplies, as well as small items that are meaningful or comforting to you, such as a stuffed animal or photos.
- Make a plan with the people you live with for how you will stay safe, stay together, and evacuate if needed. Then make a plan with loved ones you don’t live with for how you will stay in contact.
- Take note of contact information for local emergency resources.
- Think about how you may care for yourself emotionally as the situation worsens, including practices that help you stay calm.
In situations without evacuation orders, take steps to protect yourself at home, such as stocking up on food and other essentials and listening to instructions from authorities on how to stay safe.
Turn to Your Support System
Now more than ever, you will need the care and compassion of your network. Lean on friends, family members, neighbors, and others who offer strength and comfort, as well as religious, cultural, or social organizations you may be a part of.
Texting, talking on the phone, or even sending posts to each other on social media may help you feel more connected during this difficult time. You can also make a list of the people and groups you have in your corner. That way, when things feel especially bleak, you can turn to it and be reminded of everyone who is here for you.
Acknowledge and Accept All Your Feelings
A natural disaster can evoke fear, numbness, anger, anxiety — you name it. Allow yourself to feel all those things. If you feel guilty for feeling sad because other people have it worse, remind yourself that your experience is valid and it’s normal and OK to struggle, even when others are struggling.
Allow yourself to grieve too. A natural disaster can cause all types of loss, including people, pets, communities, and physical items and dwellings. It’s OK to grieve the loss of belongings and spaces. Although they are things, they meant something to you and may have been connected to a loved one, symbolic of an achievement, or a reminder of a special time in your life.
Use Calming Techniques
Breathing exercises and mindfulness won’t erase the extreme hardship you’re facing, but they can calm your nervous system and help you feel more in control when making decisions and navigating whatever situation you are facing. Box breathing or alternate nose breathing are simple exercises that can help you work through stress.
Reframe the Situation
Cognitive reframing is a strategy in which you change your thinking to focus on more neutral aspects of an experience rather than the negative. It can be hard — especially when it feels like everything is going wrong — but it can help you feel more hopeful.
Try your best to focus on the basics. You might say: “This is really difficult. I feel so scared. I don’t know how many things I’ve lost or when or if I’ll be able to return home. But I will stick close to my family. We will reach out to people who can support us. We’re going to be together and help one another.”
Ask for — and Accept — Help
Asking for help doesn’t come easily to many of us. It takes practice. If you feel uncomfortable seeking support, start small. Make an effort to ask for help with simple things, such as looking up local resources, and build your way up to bigger asks.
And remember: People and organizations want to help you. Tragedy often brings people together and sparks kindness across communities. You may worry about being a burden or turn down help because you think someone needs it more, but you deserve help too.
Make Use of Free Resources
There are resources available to help you during this time. Search for local organizations helping those affected and check out national resources.
- Ready.gov
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Disaster Distress Hotline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources
- The American Red Cross
Use Social Media Purposefully
When using social media during this tough time, ask yourself: Is this helping or hurting me? Social media can be a great tool to find resources and check in with your loved ones to ensure they’re safe. But it can also force you to relive the trauma of a natural disaster if you’re exposed to videos or photos of it.
While you’re still navigating the disaster, use social media with a specific purpose in mind — to check in on your neighbor or find a resource-distribution site — and use it in moderation. If using an app to track the disaster, you may turn off notifications and set specific times to check in.
Look for Small Doses of Hope
When everything feels hopeless is exactly when you need hope the most. It can be hard to find the good in what you’re going through, but looking for even the smallest examples can lift you up — a text from a friend asking how they can help, a local restaurant giving free meals to first responders, a care package from a resource center. If possible, write down or take pictures of these bursts of hope so you can return to them later.
It can also be helpful to ground yourself in the present. Try taking some deep breaths while scanning where you are, who you are with, and what help is available to you right now.
Seek Mental Health Care
When you’re able to, talking to a mental health professional or attending a grief or survivors group can help you manage stress and anxiety and begin to process what you’ve been through.