This season’s wildfires can make both adults and children feel vulnerable and anxious.
Whether your child is directly affected or not, they might be feeling overwhelmed or frightened. It is important to watch for signs of distress, or reactions to the natural disaster. Traumatic events affect more than just a person’s mood. They can add weight and stress to your child that will create difficulty in all areas of their life, including learning or relationships.
Every child is different, and will react uniquely. As a parent you know your child best, so if you start noticing them acting differently, here are some ways to help.
Physical Signs of Distress
Natural disasters make everyone feel small and out of control. The uncertainty of your child’s environment can lead to intense anxiety and fear. While these are mental battles, they are not limited to mental symptoms. Physical symptoms of stress are very common.
Physical trauma responses can manifest in different ways. Your child may experience stomach pains, an accelerated heart rate, or difficulty breathing. These can all lead to your child being more afraid. It can help to explain why these responses are occurring. But more importantly, encourage your child to focus on relaxation. Calming techniques can help avoid those responses. You can suggest exercise, or lead them in mindful breathing routines.
Calming techniques and relaxation can also assist with your child’s sleep. Difficulty sleeping is a common response to traumatic events. Your child’s sleep can suffer because of the hold their anxiety might have on them. A lack of sleep can then affect their attitude, making them grumpy or irritable. But encouraging habits that soothe their mind can lead to better quality of sleep. You can create a routine that winds them down before bed so that they are better prepared for rest.
The lack of control in their environment may lead to behavioral outbursts. Your child might lash out in an attempt to feel more secure. If your child has a history of behavioral issues, their behaviors might worsen. New behaviors may appear. The best way to provide support is to stay calm. Set boundaries when needed, but be patient with them.
Mental Indicators of Traumatic Responses
Understandably, your child might be feeling intense emotions in response to the fires. Some children are more comfortable expressing emotions than others. Even if your child may not be acting outwardly upset, be sensitive to the fact that they might be overwhelmed. You can urge them to talk about how they’re feeling and provide support with a listening ear. Do not let them give into fear.
Just like their emotions might lead to trouble sleeping or behavioral outbursts, they might have trouble focusing. Their concentration can be impacted because they are distracted by thinking about things outside of their control. If it is heavily impacting their learning, you can talk to educators about lessening their work load for the time being. That way they are not missing out on information their learning relies on.
You can help your child understand what is going on around them by educating them on what is happening. Giving them information on what the situation is can help them feel less frightened. Reassure them that first responders are doing all that they can and many are providing relief and aid. While this is a daunting situation, it is not hopeless.
How Compassionate Solutions Can Help
Our team of professionals at Compassionate Solutions is equipped to help your family overcome anxiety and grow past trauma in many ways. Our therapists offer a comfortable and safe space to encourage transparency and growth. Our tutors work with students right where they are to strengthen weaknesses and comprehension of material.
It can be difficult knowing exactly how to help your child as they experience direct and indirect consequences of California’s wildfires. Please reach out so we can partner with you and your family.
We are thinking of those who are directly affected by these fires and here for those who need counseling or therapy. We love this community in SCV and are hoping you are all safe in these frightening times. Feel free to reach out and call us at (661) 255-2688 or contact us on our website.
