How To Deal With Fear After The Shock

Photo by Science Shrestha

The quake has all left us devastated. Our confidence even in the next second has been shaken. There is real palpable fear that we are all living with. Yes, fear grips everyone and it may stay with us. Those who have not faced more casualty will also face this emotion for days to come. So, how does one deal with this? How do you face it?


In such a situation, for a few days or even weeks, if the trauma stays it's a normal process towards stabilization. Vulnerable people turn out to be having a trauma-related problem for which they need a specialist's help.
However, every case cannot be diagnosed as a post-traumatic case. People have their own strategies to cope with it. Those who are too stressed out need a specialist's help, whereas for some time is the best healer.
So, it is alright to feel scared as it is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
However, what we have to keep in mind is when the intensity of trauma and fear is really high compared to others and last for a long duration, that's when one should seek help. Before psychological disorder, there is an acute stress reaction; whatever people are feeling now is this, acute is an immediate occurrence. But if this continues over months, then it is post-traumatic. There is a group of symptoms, mainly anxiety kind of symptoms like palpitation, flashbacks, nightmares, terror, depressive symptoms.
In acute stress, people are panicky like how everyone was during the measure jolt. Also many thing that reminds of you that incident triggers fear or the feeling of pain because we are hyper vigilant.

How to help

There may be many vulnerable factors like a person's personality characteristics, the person could be anxiety-prone, and there could be a social support factor (like family, no house, no backup). When there is trauma, there is a situation of shock and denial.

The first thing is safety and security of self. Then, there is bringing the family together and giving them the right information. You should not tell the person what she or he has lost. One needs to make the person feel she or he is not alone. At such times, holding someone's hand means a lot which has to be culturally appropriate, Also listening to them matters. But never give false hope. If you don't know how things are, then say: 'I'm finding out things like that.'

As for parents, you need to know that when you're scared, it will reflect on the children. This will be a negative cue for the children. Fear, to an extent, is normal and necessary. It is an adapting phenomenon. Fear for two or three days / two or three weeks is normal and expected.

The fear now is among those who have survived has less casualty

This is happening to many people and in such a disaster feeling like this is obvious. One has to normalize it. Except that others panic too. There are people who are scared to go to their houses, climb stairs, stay alone, etc. The best way to deal with is gradual exposure as the main symptom is anxiety is avoiding.

There will be people who will want to express the fear, which is good. Ventilating the fear by crying oe shouting is considered good because it releases the stress and emotions. 

Another aspect that many may have faced is guilt. When you try to save yourself and forget others, What if she or he could have gotten hurt..is a reaction that people have, This can be a vulnerable factor. People need to accept that this is a normal human reaction. 

Coping with this depends on biological, psychological and social factors.

People need moral support. When someone is expressing, listen without judgement, give hope, but not false once. This social support is very essential.

*This article was originally published on The Himalayan Times, April 30, 2015