A silver lining
BEYOND the physical threat and losses, many Australians are concerned about the mental health impact of the devastating bushfires.
It’s encouraging to hear of a range of government initiatives to provide access to mental health services, including counselling.
Beyond specialised mental health services, it’s important to appreciate that we can all do something helpful to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of those impacted by bushfires.
The scale of the fires and ongoing threat means additional strategies will be important to help us adjust as a nation.
There are many things that can be done to bolster people’s mental health when the immediate threat has passed. A major contributor is social support. Those who have access to greater social support often recover better after traumatic experiences.
Recovery is assisted by the initial support received from close family members, emergency service workers and then from friends and the wider community. Many of those affected have emphasised the heartening impact of the support of strangers, including volunteer firefighters, or those who have helped protect them from danger.
In my view, some of the best ongoing mental health interventions include whatever practical support people receive from others after the immediate danger has passed. Early offers of food, clothing, transport and safe accommodation not only have a practical benefit, but they also have a benefit for people’s morale and hope for the future.
Offering practical support by performing a kind act of any sort will make a difference. It could be as simple as running an errand. Even from a greater distance, making a financial donation signals an acknowledgement of people’s difficult circumstances and ongoing hardship. It helps those who’ve suffered from trauma and losses to feel seen and heard.
It’s important that ongoing support and kindness extend beyond the initial stages so people continue to feel seen and heard. Any moral, financial or other practical support for firefighters and other direct responders, who make us all feel safer and inspire us with their selflessness and courage, will also benefit the wider community’s morale.
Offering healing support and compassion can go beyond charity. Supporting fire-ravaged communities by supporting their local economy will have ongoing mental health benefits. People recover better from trauma when they are able to re-establish routines, preferably including work routines. This can greatly help regain some sense of stability and predictability.
Scheduling holidays in fire-ravaged areas, or buying goods online through such campaign intiatives as #buyfromthebush, or #spendwiththem or in any other way financially supporting affected communities will help. This supports people continuing at work as well as maintaining important community business and social infrastructure.
People are more at risk of mental health problems after trauma when they are socially isolated, so it can make a difference to reach out to friends and family who’ve been affected and to stay in touch. We might give some extra thought to those living alone.
When people have been through significant trauma or distress, it can help their psychological recovery to talk to someone trusted about what they have experienced and their emotional reactions to it.
Offering a listening ear can help if someone close to you is open to talking about their experience. It helps if others simply listen and acknowledge the person’s reactions without offering advice. There’s no need to press someone to talk if they don’t wish to.
The threat of fires in hotter months will likely impact on forested communities for the indefinite future. We are likely to need to develop a different mindset to help adapt to this as a nation.
In addition to anything that may help prevent harm from fires, we might continue to creatively develop practical ways to assist others who’ve been most impacted.
There is often a silver lining for communities where people rally well and increase their connections and compassionate support.
Perhaps we shall strengthen that sense of connection and desire to actively care for others in our national psyche.
I think this is at least as relevant for our collective mental health as any specialised mental health interventions, as much as they are also needed.
Chris Mackey is principal psychologist at Chris Mackey and Associates, Geelong. Tips about mental health and wellbeing can be found at chrismackey.com.au/ resources