Dealing with world event stress

[dmcgill]

I am not sure where to put this post but decided to place it here since it is such a large issue:

We have all seen the news over the past few days. Headlines like: Death toll surpasses 121,000. There are stories of rescue and survival and stories of deep deep loss. We have seen the bodies of the lost piled up in parking lots and we have seen the wave wash over the hotels, pull families apart as they held on to what ever they could. The numbers are numbers we have never seen. This catastrophe is going to be remembered in history equal with Pompeii and other major events. It is something that students of history will study for the next century and beyond. The reason for this post is not to depress you further but instead to see how you are doing with the news to date and hopefully give you some methods of dealing with this.

1. Do not avoid the stories but do not sit for hour upon hour keeping track of the death toll. From experience I know this will only cause you to become more depressed. Take time to exercise, play with your children, read an uplifting book, eat and cook.

2. Talk to your children about it. They will be afraid and I know my children, 13 and 14 have asked several times if that could happen here. I live on the West Coast of the "ring of fire", and yes it could happen here. We as a family have sat down and developed a plan of how we would deal with it. We have decided upon a meeting area if this were to happen here. We have a large hill behind our house that goes up to about 500 ft. above sea level. We could escape and thank goodness, there are warning measures over here on the Pacific side. Having a plan for such horrible events and how to remain safe is very therapeutic. It shows your children that you are doing everything you can as a parent to care for them and keep them safe. Kids understand crying. They see it on TV and know that the event they are watching is bad. Don't let them see all the stuff but don't shield them from it either. Just make sure they know that you will protect to the best of your abilities.

3. Do something to help. Right now, the countries of the world are giving millions of dollars of aid to the stricken countries but that will stop and the money will run out. Now would be a good time to give to the charity of your choice if they are helping. Put a donation button on your website, if you have a store, place a jar by the till for a charity of your choice. People will help and you can feel good about facilitating that. When you get involve, instead of being an onlooker, you become part of the solution. This will help your mental health.

As we see the last day of 2004, let us hope for a better year in 2005. Start the year with a positive attitude. Do something proactive for yourself and Happy New Year to you all.
Dennis

 

[Cat Dancer]

Thank you. I have been worrying over this and crying over it. I've done all I can monetarily and just feel so helpless still. I am glad you posted this.

 

[dmcgill]

A wise man, (my father) once told me.
You can't change the world or the events that happen in them but you can try to help those who are hurt with something as small as a prayer or good thought. It sounds like you have done that already and helped with $$. Our little pennies, toonies or dollars seem so small compaired to the great need but it is the fact that you have helped at all that counts. When we become proactive, we help ourselves more than those we are helping.

I worked as an EMT for a few years in a large West Coast US City. Some of the things that I had to see, kids getting killed and hurt in auto crashes, murder, domestic violence etc.. was enough to drive anyone crazy but I found that by getting in there, getting my hands dirty and becoming part of the solution, I was able to sleep at night.

Bless your heart for doing anything and the fact that this has bothered you and caused you pain showes you have a heart. Keep smiling when you can and be proud of what you can do.

 

[HA]

Thanks for posting this, Dennis.

My condolences to the families and friends who are dealing with the loss and grief from this crisis.

One of the places you can access current news is BBC on-line at: BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Survivors tell of tsunami train horror

In the event that you may wish to contribute donations to assist with relief efforts, the ones that appear to be most able and prepared to respond at this time (and who are experts in immediate relief co-ordination) include:

Canadian Red Cross: https://secure.csfm.com/redcross

MSF: Home | Doctors Without Borders - USA

UNICEF: UNICEF


In the Toronto area:

The Student Volunteer Program that is co-coordinating relief efforts in the areas that are hard to reach - specifically in Sri Lanka. They can be reached at: tsunamirelieffund@tsvp.ca or by calling 416 903-6609.

International Development and Relief Foundation. People Helping People

 

[cm]

Thanks for posting on such an enormously important event. It has motivated me to take action with a community idea I have that will enable alot of us to help in some way.

 

[dmcgill]

At this time of the year it can be difficult making it without these types of problems so it makes it that much worse. Don't focus your full attention on it, but keep these poor people in the background of the page so to speak.

 

[Cat Dancer]

A wise man, (my father) once told me.
You can't change the world or the events that happen in them but you can try to help those who are hurt with something as small as a prayer or good thought.


When we become proactive, we help ourselves more than those we are helping.

I think this is very true. Maybe if one can't give or do something for that part of the world, they could find something in their own part of the world to do to help someone.

 

[Cat Dancer]

I've also been thinking that my life could be SO much worse, that really I have a lot to be thankful for.

 

[cm]

Hello janetr, I read your post and it was just what I was thinking of too. I try and take time most days to kind of go through a thankful prayer that I make up.

 

[HA]

Some fear predators after tsunami child victims

Some fear predators after tsunami child victims
CTV.ca News Staff

In addition to the other hardships being faced by children in the tsunami disaster zone, there is a new threat -- child abduction.

Children have either been left orphaned, abandoned or simply separated from their parents in the wake of the Dec. 26 tsunamis. This leaves them in a very vulnerable position.

Daniel Walker, grandfather of Kristian Walker, a 12-year-old Swedish boy, is worried about his grandson's fate.

"We don't know that my grandson Kristian has in fact been kidnapped, we just know that he is missing. The possibility that he has been kidnapped is there," he said.

Kristian was reportedly last seen Monday with a German man at a hospital in Khao Lak, Thailand. But he has since vanished.

Thai police say there's no record of the boy having been at the hospital and no record of a foreign man taking him, despite the earlier reports.

The German voluntarily came forward told Thai police he reunited a boy with his family, so that it wasn't Kristian.

But that only leaves a mystery in Kristian's case, who is still missing.

The fear for some is that children like Kristian could end up being coerced into working in the Southeast Asian sex tourism industry -- one where young boys are highly sought after.

Another fear is displaced children being used as forced labour.

In refugee camps, social workers are on high alert.

Foreigners and Thais alike have approached several children and their families, offering to adopt them.

"People offering to give her child an education to bring her up properly, perhaps well intentioned perhaps not well intentioned," said Andrew Morris of UNICEF.

In Aceh province, Indonesia, child workers have similar concerns, particularly after a cellphone text message was discovered offering up hundreds of orphans aged three to 10 for illegal adoption.

"Aceh is, in fact, a place where trafficking has been a problem in the past so it is something that the international community and the Indonesian government rightly is concerned about," said Bob LaPrade of Save the Children.

UNICEF said this type of behaviour typically happens in times of disaster or war.

In some of the affected countries, police are being posted at refugee camps.

Other needs

Besides protecting them from potential exploiters, UNICEF has called for the following:

1. Keep children alive by providing clean water, adequate sanitation, basic nutrition, and primary medical care.

2. Helping children reunite with their family and extended families where possible.

3. Get children back in school as soon as possible and train those who work with them to spot the signs of severe trauma.

"Nothing will signal hope more clearly than rebuilding and reopening schools," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in a news release.

"Being in a learning environment gives children something positive to focus on, and enables the adults around them to go about the business of rebuilding with greater confidence."