“I don’t know what I’m afraid of. I just know it is scary to imagine this bay being flooded from Hurricane Florence.” Jennifer sat with her face pointed towards her lap and used her therapy to deal with her fear of upcoming storms.
Occasionally she raised her head to look out the window at the Shelter Haven Bay spitting light rain outside my office window. Anxiety was written all over her face, eyes wide, she looked at me briefly, and then investigated her lap again.
“I’m afraid our house will get damaged like our neighbor’s house did in Hurricane Sandy over five years ago.” How well I remembered driving to our home after Sandy and feeling like one of the lucky ones, with minor damage to a few drawers emptied of their contents for safety.
I asked Jennifer if she wanted to learn to control her anxiety by thinking more realistically and positively. She did.
On Sept. 14, 2018, at 7:25 a.m., day broke over the now misty marshland that is my backyard. My large glass patio door afforded me a full view of bay waters flowing calm from Stone Harbor up the channel where many of us love to live.
But, each fall we each must protect our beloved families and homes from potential natural disasters caused by torrents of rain.
This year, Hurricane Florence has us all worried. “You don’t need to move the deck chairs,” husband John reassured me. “They won’t blow away and the railing will catch them if they slide.”
But, I was not convinced, so Sept. 9 I moved my maroon women’s racer and my succulent plants indoors to protect them from high winds and rain. Outside our home, I could see nonstop traffic leaving Stone Harbor.
Was my fear irrational or excessive? Probably not, given the prediction that Florence was devastating.
I felt an internal alarm register inside, “Warning. Danger may be approaching.”
And, since dangerous natural events are unavoidable and unpredictable, many of us naturally feel panic that invades well being physically and emotionally. If we are wise, we use our danger signals to try to manage the problem, as I did with our belongings.
Mental health skills offer great treatment for fear-based anxiety. Exposure therapy enables patients to calm terror and approach bugs, flights, hurricanes as needed.
I teach clients breathing and gradual exposure to thinking about their fear. In this way, clients “habituate” to the concern ’til the anxiety declines.
Many psychologists are trained in cognitive behavior therapy which teaches clients to rethink the way they think, enabling them to take control of situations that felt outside their control. Unreasonable fear of flying insects, thunder and lightning, airplane travel, highway driving are but a few of the dilemmas easily treated.
To find local resources, ask psychologists their training. Ethics requires their honesty.
But, consulting “Dr. Internet” is a great first step. The American Psychological Association has provided us with tips on how to manage storm-related anxiety.
1. Have a plan and implement it. Where will you be safe? Feeling prepared for the storm can lessen your anxiety.
2. Stay informed. Limit your exposure to news reports that focus on damage and destruction to stay ready yourself for the likely near future.
3. Make connections. Use your cell or computer to stay in touch with your loved ones as a source of support.
4. Reach out to your children. Monitor their anxiety by channeling their news coverage. Provide realistic assurances that plans are in place to keep them safe.
5. Maintain a hopeful outlook. Remember that disaster services are in place. Your agencies are tracking and preparing for the hurricane. Use coping skills to manage the situation.
It is my hope that by the time you read this, the danger has moved on. But, that is just for this time.
Global warming ensures that we will face future challenges. For my husband and me, the threat is worth the challenges to enjoy the calm and beauty of our marshland home. And, you?
To consider: Which areas of your life feel endangered? How do you manage your natural anxiety? Do you need help coping? If so, consider consulting a professional who can help.
To explore: The American Psychological Association offers multiple resources for managing anxiety and other natural concerns at www.apa.org/helpcenter/hurricane-preparation.aspx
Find Dr. Coche helping clients rethink the way they think using cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy in her offices in Stone Harbor and Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. Contact her through www.cochecenter.com. To receive a free pamphlet about your best life, email her at tcctcs@eathlink.net
Wildwood – So Liberals here on spout off, here's a REAL question for you.
Do you think it's appropriate for BLM to call for "Burning down the city" and "Black Vigilantes" because…
