These days that we spend as Corona days are actually a natural disaster that we are talking about an epidemic disease and that affects the whole world. So it's a trauma. So what is trauma? We call the effects caused by unusual and unexpected events that make the person extremely frightened, terrified, and helpless. Events that disrupt the daily routine, develop suddenly and unexpectedly, create terror, anxiety and panic, and disrupt the person's meaning-making processes can be defined as traumatic experiences. A traffic accident, a natural disaster (earthquake, flood, etc.), harassment, a more challenging experience, or a loss in the family may be examples of trauma.
These days when our daily routine changes, when we can no longer go to work, school, or for a walk, and when we cannot make physical contact with our loved ones, can also be considered as traumatic experiences and abnormal periods of time. How should we go through these periods so that we are least harmed by the trauma, or so that we can preserve our mental health when this process passes? Because we know that a person's mental health is affected during trauma. The aspect of the coronavirus that threatens physical health actually negatively affects mental health. When it comes to the definition of health, physical and mental health are indistinguishable from each other. In particular, knowing what trauma is, understanding its effects, and being aware will enable 'making sense of events'. Making sense of events will make it easier for us to recognize and manage our emotions. So what does this mean? My child is more active than I want at home, he makes a mess everywhere, I can't control it and I get angry and yell at him. Meanwhile, when I consider my situation from the child's perspective; From my perspective, 'a child whose routine is disrupted or hindered may behave uncontrollably at home'; I can say, 'I feel helpless because I can't control it, and maybe at another time I wouldn't have reacted so much, but now I'm yelling at my child and it makes me sad.' Therefore, it is important to understand the situation I am in, and the basis of communication is based on understanding and being understood. When I understand this, instead of yelling at my child, 'I stand in front of him and get down to the age of the child and understand. I can say, 'You behave this way because you are limited, but it harms you and me, what can I do for you?'
The brain, a complex mechanism, can deactivate the higher-level system, which includes the ability to reason, in the face of threat and react as 'fight, flight, freeze' with the activation of the primitive mind part. When the primitive mind takes control; To protect ourselves, we may act impulsively and without thinking. This may lead to behaviors such as going out uncontrollably and shopping without considering the risk of transmission of the disease seen during the curfew in society. However, we are an advanced being and we can manage the crisis. We can recognize crises in our own lives and learn to manage the crisis. In fact, as it is called turning the crisis into an opportunity, we can grow and improve ourselves with the crisis. Building stronger and earthquake-resistant houses after an earthquake can be called post-earthquake development and recovery. Here, too, it is possible to emerge from the crisis by growing and recovering. This does not mean that we should make utopian decisions and implement practices. No, let's realize the things we were not happy with before the crisis. For example, let's say we had complaints within the family such as 'we couldn't have breakfast together, we didn't have time', we can include this in our lives now. After the crisis is over, we will have incorporated a good habit as life continues, and it is necessary to set a goal that can fit into this. In other words, if the exaggerated attention or excessive favors do not continue after the crisis while we are staying at home, this will also create a separate problem. Therefore, we can plan what there are within the family that I want to include in my life and how I can continue these while life continues after the virus is over.
If you would like, let's write a few suggestions that can manage the crisis:
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We can start by recognizing the triggering situations. 'curfew' may be a trigger. In such cases, the person's mind behaves as if there is a lion behind me and is going to jump, experiences physiological reactions such as increased heart rate, sweating, hot flushes, and is also invaded by negative thoughts, such as 'the ban will be extended, we are definitely in a very bad situation and it cannot be controlled'. Realize that these are triggers When we don't, we can act without thinking and lead to unhealthy behavior, such as everyone going out to the streets at night and flocking to the markets. When I realize I'm triggered, I can take a deep breath and try to calm down. I can even do relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, and come into contact with water. We all know the calming effect of water. When we do these, we will not 'add fuel to the fire'.
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We can make it easier to cope with the situation by expressing our feelings and sharing our feelings. When we express our situation with expressions such as "Being at home makes me sad, that's why I'm distracted and can't concentrate." The other person will try to understand, and this will be good for us, too, because being understood is one of the most basic needs. Communicate with your loved ones by using technology well, talk and share with your loved ones.
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We can try to look at these days we live in realistically and from a helicopter. Just as in order to see all the facts in a photograph, you need to look at it from above. We can look at this process as if we were in a helicopter and looking at it from above. The number of people who survived this disease and recovered is quite high. Following only the number of cases and the number of deaths will cause us to see the picture incompletely. This can lead us away from reality and into disaster scenarios.
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I think it would be beneficial to get away from social media for a bit. There is too much information pollution and this will trigger our anxiety. It is important not to listen to people on TV who have nothing to do with the subject. Or the information circulating between neighbors. If there is anything that spreads faster than the virus, it is gossip.
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Stay connected and communicate with your loved ones. Meet often. Like sunflowers, when it is daylight outside, the flowers turn their faces to the sun, but when it is dark outside, they look at each other. We must also take care of ourselves and each other. What we need is to feel that we are safe, and for this, we should not break or even increase our communication with the people we trust.
To meet when this dark weather is over, summer is coming, and we will see the beautiful and healthy days when the sun shines together. hoping With hope for tomorrow Let's end our article with a poem from Nazım Hikmet that reminds us that there are:
A little more patience,
A little more stubbornness.
Before the door. What awaits behind
It's not death, it's life
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