Victory Ortigas - Honor God. Make Disciples.

Understand what you are going through
A crisis or disaster situation puts your body on “red alert” to respond to danger. The suddenness of the situation makes you disoriented and overwhelmed – you are in shock. You lost control of many aspects of your life and yet you want to be safe and protected. This leads you to think, feel and behave differently. Your world is disrupted and you may have many questions about life. Later, you may think that you are weak or abnormal for reacting the way you did, but you will discover that you are just NORMALLY responding to an ABNORMAL SITUATION. The good news is that you have the ability to get over this!

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, The Message

What you can do to recover

Talk about your thoughts and feelings. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to repeat your story.
Maintain contact with friends and relatives. They are your support network.
Learn relaxation exercises. Stretch. Do deep breathing exercises.
Do things that soothe and calm you down, especially if you feel very tense.
If you feel dazed, confused, or detached, try to remind yourself of where you are. Identify your surroundings, the people around you, what time it is, etc.
When you get scared or panic, remind yourself of a safe place, situation or person in your life.
When you feel down, remind yourself of how you coped well in previous crisis situations. Recall your strengths as a person, you abilities and achievements, no matter how small. Remember the people who care about you. If you have a hard time doing these things, ask someone to help you evaluate whether you are just being too hard on yourself. When people are depressed, they tend to underestimate themselves.
When you feel afraid, evaluate how realistic your fears are. After a trauma, people tend to exaggerate any potential threats to their safety.
It is normal to feel irritable, angry, overly sensitive to your surroundings, or easily startled. It is normal to have nightmares or flashbacks. These and other reactions will usually go away with time.
What you can do when you are in a relief center or similar situation
If you have not eaten for many days, do not despair. Know that people can survive more than 3 weeks without food, and an average of 3 to 5 days without water. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_skills)

Do light physical activities like walking or stretching to maintain your energy and flexibility.

Organize yourselves into groups and do activities that help you recover, such as:
Talk about your thoughts and feelings about the event
Share personal stories, especially about how well you coped with crisis in the past
Pray. Sing. Share jokes.
Do relaxation exercises together. Massage each other’s backs.
Share skills and knowledge that may be helpful now or once you get back to your homes. For example, first aid, fixing appliances, electrical do’s and don’ts after a flood, where to get loans, etc.
Start planning the things you will do when you get out of the relief center. Assess your resources (for example, savings, properties, friends who can help, organizations you can tap, your skills and abilities, etc.)
Tell your children about the incident truthfully, in language they will understand. Allow them to play and find out what they are thinking and feeling through their play activities. Assure them of your protection and presence. Be patient when they act as if they were younger (e.g., thumb-sucking, bed wetting) – this is a normal stress reaction of children and will go away when they recover.
Know that different people react to trauma in different ways. Be patient with other victims who may be experiencing anger outbursts, irritability, panic and other unpleasant behaviors.
Do not lose hope.
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:28, The Message.