Preparing the MINDSET for the disaster

I choose to blog about disaster mindset preparation from my disaster preparedness checklist. because I believe mindset preparation is the biggest and most important preparation we could ever try to do. Of course, there is no way to exactly predict how the mind will act/behave during the disaster, but it is going to be worse if we never ever try to condition or simulation our mind to it. A lot of people do not put the focus on the mind preparation while preparing for the disaster , most focus on the physical preparation

We must realize that during disaster, we could be the worst person being hit by the major disaster. We could not postulate that we will be the least person impacted by the disaster. The chance of you,  your spouse , child, parents, lover , friends to be impact by the crisis is just as  ,  equal as other people.  You could be get injured or even worse , lost some of your loved one in the disaster. 

If you witness traumatic event, most likely you will fall into acute stress disorder, the impact of acute stress disorder varies t typically include an initial state of "daze", with some constriction of the field of consciousness and narrowing of attention, inability to comprehend stimuli, and disorientation. This state may be quickly followed by either further withdrawal from the surrounding situation (to the extent of a dissociative stupor), or by agitation and overactivity, anxiety, impaired judgement, confusion, detachment, and depression. Autonomic signs of panic anxiety (tachycardia, sweating, flushing) are also commonly present. The symptoms usually appear within minutes of the impact of the stressful stimulus or event, and disappear within 2–3 days (source wiki)

 In order to able to get through the disaster as a productive member, not wasting the critical 2-3 days after the main disaster , your mind need to conditioned to these possibilities . Conditioning with the possibilities does not mean you are hoping for it happen , but it your mind must be prepared , as much as you can for the probability.

What can you do about this , as part of disaster preparedness checklist?

Talk about it at the dinner table with your spouse and family. Make it one of the topics to discuss at the dinner table for a few times in a year to make sure everybody in the family talks about it. Most people will shy away from the topic the 1st time it is brought up.  It is a common response when unpleasant topic is discussed . Listen carefully to what everybody has to say and acknowledge their fears and concern. Try as much to allay their fear by focusing on the survival aspect instead of the lost aspect.

Run you own mind simulation on action plan in case one or some of you family member is injured or incapacitated. You disaster action plan must be flexible to handle the situation.  Improvise the plan if needed. Most people do not think it could happen to them , well there is no need to deny that anymore.

Review and share your disaster preparedness checklist with you family member. Make sure they know exactly what the plans are , in case you do not survive the initial disaster ( well that is another possibility ). Make sure they are aware of their role and responsibilities until certain norms return to their life.

Talk about post traumatic stress , their symptom and root cause with the family. Recognizing that some of us will be impacted by this could help the family member to deal with it.

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 Pray, if you are a believer. It will help to articulate your darkest fear and find some solace it in.

Effective Disaster Preparedness Tips

You can also take advantage of the tips and knowledge available at Family survival course. It is one of the most comprehensive guide available to date. Trust me, you will not regret it.