From Flu Wiki 2

Forum: Coping with Your Emotions During a Pandemic III

29 August 2006

Bronco Bill – at 00:47

Continued from here


please check this out – at 21:04

Time to edit. Dem has posted our report. Please go to this link to view it Coping

Lots of other good articles on that topic there also.

Read, add changes, add more site links, information. Dem has posted the framework there and it is yours to add changes as you want. It is easy to edit (even for me the computer challeged person). Just go to the top of the document and press “edit”. Add your name and reason for the edit, somethink like ‘to add link’ or whatever, then save it.

Due to space concerns, I had to leave some great links mentioned here out of it due to email length considerations when I sent it to Dem. Please feel free to add your links, play around with it and have fun. I think it will grow into a good framework for laymen to look at and better understand some of the coping issues that we may all face before, during and after a pandemic. ST

I hope this thread will live on as a place for people to express their concerns and ideas, : )

EnoughAlreadyat 02:39

Okay, I am going to try this again. I apologise that I don’t have time to see this through, however, I hope you all will follow through with my suggestion.

Coping with emotions. Where do you start? Giving a name to the emotion. Then what? Where is it coming from, and why.

My suggestion? I can read through nearly every thread on this site and come up with some very basic and common emotions. It will be the same thing seen “then”. Only, potentially then the “continuim” will be on the more drastic, ugly side. Why? Well, the same emotions are seen on this site. I can name them, but choose not to. Why? Because I want y’all to do that. Why?

Because… if I ask you “now” what you are “feeling” about prepping, and why you are prepping… it would be those emotions, those feelings, that are pertinent to coping. It will be what makes and breaks you… and your ability to help others (and yourself) COPE. So, I ask you… how does all this make you FEEL? And how will it relate to “then?”

EnoughAlreadyat 02:53

Clue: there “is” a trend. And it is the key. (I don’t mean to be cryptic, but it is so important to getting this “coping.”) I really hope y’all pick up on the “trend.” When you do, you will see it here and how coping is working. And, how it will work “then” as well. It will work on coping with anything.

If you have ever been to a therapist, do they give you the answers?

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 08:44

So it’s ‘empowering’ ourselves by figuring it out ourselves?? Or somthin’ like that?

Science Teacher – at 12:40
 Excellent points, EnoughAlready!  Would you be willing to add your powerful points to the draft linked above?  

Therapists “guide” folks through the map of emotions. In a pandemic, we may not have access to the help they can provide. The draft provides people with links to a framwork to identify normal coping reactions and ones that may require additional help. It also links to ideas that will help people cope with their emotions. There are many other comprehensive documents written by other wikians on similar topics at the same place the draft was linked to.

I’m -working-on—it, I agree. Knowledge about emotions and the self-improvement of coping skills will help foster self- empowerment.

I observe the emotions that people on this site and elsewhere are feeling in thinking about a pandemic to be something like this:

1. Becoming aware of a possible pandemic. FEAR, anxiety, worry (what will happen to me and my family?), agitation, even panic. Over- reaction, thinking about it constantly, becoming glued to the tv or computer for news. Seeking advice, reassurance. Dashing out to buy prep. supplies, thinking the pandemic will happen tomorrow. “I can’t seem to get this off my mind” thinking and feeling. Facing mortaity and becoming terrified. I don’t know if I can do this. I feel overwhelmed! I can’t stop worrying! (the beginning of an adjustment reaction).

2. Denial. This can’t be true, they don’t know what they are talking about, this can’t happen to me, how dare they frighten me. This makes me angry. (Retreat to self cocoon where it is ‘safe’ to be).

3. Panic thinking slows down. I learn more about the pandemic. I accept that it may be coming. I begin to feel hope that there are things I can do that may help family and friends survive. I begin to talk about my feelings with others. Perhaps I can take one small step to help myself and family. I feel encouraged; I learn more and take more steps. I begin to feel more confidence. Relief that I am not alone in doing this. I think I can do this. I can make a difference. The pandemic will not happen tomorrow and there is still time to prepare for it. I feel more relief. I reach out to help others and I feel good about doing this.

blackbird – at 13:41

This was an interesting posting from Yahoo news about a study of after-effects of Katrina that’s pertinent to thinking through effects of other potential disasters. Editorializing at the end of the article notwithstanding, there’s evidence of strength in the survivors as a result of their experience (in addition to the traumatic impacts).

http://tinyurl.com/pqp6p

Science Teacher – at 14:27

Good find, Blackbird! It is great to read that there may be a few positive ‘side effects’ of a disaster. Here is a link to the research paper posted 6/28/06 on the WHO Bulletin board:

http://tinyurl.com/ggtyd

I kept thinking of that old adage as I read your linked story, “what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger” (in some cases anyways).

Nice to read something positive, though. Thanks.

30 August 2006

Enough Already please post – at 14:41

I think I left out “despair” as an emotion. When we come up against this one as I have seen reflected in many threads here, many of us will keep on trying because we are motivated to save our loved ones.

 Enough Already:   Please comment more.  What do you feel we have missed?

31 August 2006

Science Teacher – at 16:27

I think Enough Already may be away. I hoe he comes back and solves the ‘puzzle’ he has left here. :)

no name – at 21:55

As I read the postings on social distancing, which I understand, believe, ect. I see myself becoming more amd more aware of door handles, washing hands, touching face and working to retrain myself in these behaviors.

However, I am finding myself shaking hands, hugging and casually touching people more than I have done in the past. I wonder if knowing of the coming BF and what it will take to survive…I am trying to “stock up” on human contact also.

The poster’s on social distancing thread were talking about the personality that it would take to SIP and whether they knew anyone that was capable of maintaining isolation. If we don’t stay in how can we survive? It is a strange world we are envisioning. Sci Fi couldn’t get any better.

01 September 2006

Science Teacher – at 22:32

no name, you wrote just what I’ve been feeling too. I have this stange feeling when I am with my kids of wanting to freeze time, to make this moment last forever. I am storing up memories, I guess and I just can’t get enough of them.

Lots of conflicting emotions as we adjust, I guess.

I don’t believe there is one personality type that would be better at enduring SIP. Everything will change if a pandemic hits. We will all be as one when nature kicks in and we go into survival mode. I think our genetic survival personalities will emerge and we will all unite in fighting this beast.

Gary Near Death Valley – at 23:10

no name – at 21:55 It does take some practice to NOT touch your face, without using a hand sanitizer before hand. A small group of us out here Death Valley, have been using hand sanitizer since the SARS outbreak. What happened is that we eat out ALOT, and my wife and I started using it and explaining to the others the benefits of using, when needed, and we explained some of the most infection covered things are buffet utensils, that people touch.

All of our meeting group now uses hand sanitizer all the time, and all of us are constantly informing others about the use. Along with this, a sprinkle of the avian flu virus is thrown in, to show what a great benefit this is and will be.

Wolf – at 23:20

Although conscientiously TRYING to practice care in re-touching, I’m convinced I’ll need to add obvious things like glasses, hanging bottles of sterilizing goop everywhere, wipies everywhere else, etc. to change habits of a lifetime. I already think about shaking hands; an act that went without thought just months ago… And also burn into my brain the views of the day - I may need ‘em, someday.

Science Teacher – at 23:48

My Purell goes everywhere I do. I’m finding it hard to remember not to touch my eyes and anything else but am growing much more aware of it. Also using my sleeve to open public doors. I must look a bit odd as some time it takes me a few tries to do this. LOL

Thanks for the tip about the buffet spoon, I hadn’t thought about that one yet. I read somewhere that the new social norm will be touching elbows instead of shaking hands.

I am taking lots of photos now…

02 September 2006

Gary Near Death Valley – at 00:14

Wolf – at 23:20 Yes it is a counsious effort to contantly remind yourself about touching eyes, etc, and both my wife and I carry ours all the time. In fact I buy them at a 99Cent store (much cheaper) and make my own by adding in about 1/3 isopropl alcohol into the solution of Purell etc and it makes it stronger. We stocked up on them as well as alcohol bottles, at least 62% isopropl alcohol and now is the time to stock up on that. Alcohol is very inexpensive and stores easily, but keep away from heating devices.

Bump – at 01:27
Wolf – at 11:27

I suppose this would be more aptly termed Coping with Your Emotions Pre-Pandemic, but I find myself existing in 2 parallel spaces simultaneously. In one, I’m doing all I can to retain a sense of normalcy and day-to-day living, planning without thought to serious disruption. In the other, I’m doing all I can to prepare for the possibility of panflu as well as other disasters. I’m increasingly finding it harder to separate the two, and am becoming more and more impatient with (what I see as) skewed priorities, individually and collectively. Maintaining a balance is becoming harder by the day.

no name – at 11:41

WOLF @ 11:27

Maintaining balance…for me this is the code of this existance. It is more difficult as you see the illusion of this experience melt away and the awareness of a new reality come to be.

I am in shock and awe over this one.

Although on the other hand there is a certain level of excitement about the whole process. Strange.

Wolf – at 11:46

no name @ 11:41 I KNOW! It’s like you’re in the midst of ‘an historic moment’; shocking, awesome, terrifying - and exciting. Strange and disturbing, yet true.

Chesapeake – at 11:52

Wolf- that sounds very close to how I am feeling also. Keeps me close to home, afraid I might jump all over someone about their “skewed priorities”.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 11:55

Wolf, I understand exactly what you mean…..in order to keep my sanity, I have to just chill out financially until DH’s paycheck comes in, then I’m like a racehorse out of the gate to place the orders I’ve been planning & tweaking for the last 2 weeks. Then when the stuff comes in, I’m all excited, inventory it and store it without having anyone to really rejoice with over it, then have to just settle down into the same life that everyone else is living until the next paycheck comes!

And with me it’s almost a room to room thing…..when I’m close to my preps I get excited shivers, sort of like Marilyn Monroe would being around diamonds. But if I’m in the living room, even though I have preps there too, it’s just a ‘regular’ room and life is just normal day to day stuff.

The sense of excitement/urgency is more of what I want to feel and more like what I’m comfortable with-instead of it making me nervous or stressed it just propells me forward in a focused direction. The other night I was wikiing & watching tv while lying on the couch, & something I read made me just pop up off the couch as if I was in a hurry to do something. Of course I had no plan to do anything, but my body just responded to something I’d been reading that I guess made my heart leap with excitement a little and caused me to just pop up like a jack in a box ready & willing to do something else toward prepping, I just didn’t know what, so I just laid back down & got back in my ‘normal’ mode & felt silly.

Wolf – at 12:16

Chesapeake @ 11:52: I’m pretty much a homebody under any circumstances. My brother once described himself as ‘a loner - with friends’. We’re cut from the same cloth. But even in everyday interactions I find myself getting somewhat riled. I’m-workin’-on-it @ 11:55: I, too jump up, adrenaline rushing, must-do-something… only to find what I’d better do is some laundry… or take out the trash… maybe clean out the ‘fridge…

no name – at 12:44

Do you think we are BF addicts??? Some of the words we are using sound like it might be the case!!!

Science Teacher – at 13:03

I think in the beginning of my learning I was an addict. Hours at my computer trying to catch up in my knowledge and then hours spent thinking about prepping and actually going out and doing it. Just part of the normal adjustment process unless you feel you absolutely can’t leave that computer. Now that I am somewhat prepped (it is ongoing!), I have calmed down somewhat. Still find myself feeling like what you all described above. Most of us have probably had that feeling of just when you are about to fall asleep and your leg jerks and you are wide awake. Kind of a ‘restless leg’ syndrome of the mind. Sometimes when I am relaxed watching TV or reading a book, this will hit me. Kind of a bird flu alert jumping in. I think balancing one’s life does get easier the furthur down the road you get in this adjustment process.

Wolf – at 13:34

Science Teacher @ 13:03: Dunno about balancing getting easier. I’ve been at this awhile. My anxiety seems more related to events - and my own belief that time is NOT on our side. no name @ 12:44: Yeah, find myself using panflu shorthand but am comforted that I still don’t know what all the acronyms mean ;) Feel kinda like Steven Colbert on bears - yeah, I’m scared - but that’s just sensible!

Science Teacher – at 14:52

Events, like what has been happening in Indonesia, frighten me. Even more scary is when I think about all the ‘events’ we don’t even know about. You are right, Wolf, it is healthy to feel some fear, nature’s way of protecting us, as long as we don’t feel so overwhelmed by it that we pull the covers over our head. You are right; it is tough to achieve balance. My ‘balance meter’ changes everyday. : )

no name – at 15:09

Wolf @ 13:34

I know what you mean about the acronyms…even went to the dictionary…still buffaloed by some. Ha Ha!

31 October 2006

Closed - Bronco Bill – at 21:15

Closed to maintain Forum speed.

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