Self-care essentials for disaster response workers helping infants, children and families

Preparing psychologically to respond

Responding to infants, children and families exposed to a disaster can be a positive and rewarding experience. However, it can also be complex and challenging. Supporting others may be particularly difficult if you live and/or work in the affected community and have been directly impacted yourself, meaning you are also managing your own and/or your family’s needs.

Before offering support to others, ask yourself, ‘Am I ready to help?’ It’s essential to ensure you are psychologically prepared. This means being aware of and monitoring your own thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physiological responses:

• Ensure you’re able to enter the disaster setting in a calm way.
• Take a deep breath or two.
• Check your thoughts and emotions.
• Look for your own physiological signs of stress (e.g. stomach or jaw muscles held tight) and apply strategies to manage them.

When your own wellbeing needs are considered and met, you are more available and helpful in meeting the needs of children (and others) who are distressed. By looking after yourself you are better able to sustain your effectiveness and compassion throughout disaster response and recovery efforts.

Things you can do to support your own health and wellbeing during this time:

• Aim for adequate sleep/rest, nutrition, hydration and exercise to support your physical wellbeing.
• Try to establish boundaries between your support role and your home life.
• Use strategies to regulate your emotions, such as calm breathing, connecting with supportive and positive friends and colleagues, resting and taking breaks.
• Be mindful of the types of situations or people that might trigger an emotional reaction for you. It’s important to be aware of when it might not be appropriate for you to provide PFA to others and be prepared to step away.
• Connect with other colleagues, friends and family for emotional support and perspective on your experiences.
• Take time to reflect back on your experiences, and your thoughts and feelings around them.
• Pay attention to your wellbeing and mental health and notice if you may need to take advantage of available resources or professional support to ensure you can process and make meaning of your experiences.

It is important to remember that looking after yourself is not an indulgence; it is essential for maintaining your own wellbeing and your ability to support others in the days, weeks and months following a disaster.

If you experience fear or loss of control

There may be times at the height of the disaster response or relief process when you experience moments of fear or loss of control. That is normal and OK. If it does happen, these simple strategies may help:

• Take deep breaths. Your breath is always there for you when you need it. It can help you to ground yourself and calm your body and mind.
• Focus on the one next thing you need to do (as opposed to feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of what’s happening around you).
• Focus on what you can control.
• If you do become emotional in front of a child in your care, explain that it’s OK to be afraid and natural to feel overwhelmed. Reinforce that you are taking steps to manage the situation and keep them safe.
• If possible, step away for a few moments.
• Where available, seek the support of others.