Texas floods: 6 ways to help children feel safe again

“These were children trying to just a summer. Nature did not give them this opportunity.” – Scott Roskan, swimmer to save the Coast Guard, as he told ABC News

The sudden floods that swept more than 100 people, including dozens of children, until Friday morning, are the Texas tragedy, anyone with access to the screen can witness it within hours of anywhere on Earth. The outcome is not the same for everyone, and it cannot always be visible immediately, but we know from the studies of hurricanes of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy that can cause disasters of such suffering after the flood water has declined. Feeling safe again takes some time. We often reduce time.

Giving priority to relationships

As a psychological and teenager, when I see a catastrophe like that in Texas reveals, I always ask what we can do to support young people at the present time, and also what we can do in days, weeks, and the fabric from now to help them recover. If there is one thing we can do, then this is: maintaining and building relationships and determining their priorities that restore safety. Children will believe that they will be fine again if the adults around them believe this.

Tension and safety biology

There is a biological cause: below pressurethe Hormone The cortisol bathe our bodies and integration. If it is not proven and does not trust a person we trust, then he can harm our (brain) systems and to our immune systems (body). But this is not the end of the story. Relationships full of trust, safety and love produce the hormone Oxytocin Oxytocin does a lot to protect us from the effects of stress and restore a sense of safety. This is the reason for the effects shock It can be reversed. Although he can feel very far away at the present time, the shock is not a fate.

6 ways to help

The Camp Mystic community, through all novels, is characterized by the strong Bonds Bonds that girls formulated on the banks of the Guadalobi River for generations. This will definitely help the camp and consultants who survived overcoming sadnessAnd loss and Fearful They suffer.

If you are looking for ways to help a young man you know directly affected by the floods or from watching news about the tragedy, here are six suggestions:

• Start a conversation. Listen carefully and calmly and honestly respond in an appropriate way for age. Children pick up the feelings of adults.
• Do not assume that people do not worry if they do not speak. Sometimes just a comfort.
• Reducing media. Reducing children with painful images to reduce fear and organize cortisol.
• Keep the routine. Daily routine provides stability and reassurance.
• Monitor. Look for troubles sleepingand appetite Loss, or difficulty focusing. Ask for support if the symptoms persist.
• Enabling young people to help. Ask them what they I think it can be done to help others. Including them in small procedures, such as messages to the first respondents, consider donations for verified relief boxes, such as Kerr County Flood Relief and the American Red Cross.

At this moment, adults who preach them can provide support, stability and hope that young people need to restore their feeling of safety and believe that they will be tied. It will, together.