Bushfires: How to cope

[Jess1-RO]

Bushfires 

Coming into Summer, we have seen many areas of Australia impacted by Bushfires. This week we want to acknowledge all those impacted by bushfires, and to the wider community who are feeling the weight of natural disasters such as bushfires.  If you are feeling worried, it is okay- you are not alone!

There has been a lot of media coverage of the bushfires this month. When disasters like bushfires happen, it can feel really overwhelming to know how to respond and look after yourself and your community. If you are feeling concerned about the bushfires, there are places you can go for support and things you can do to help your communities.

Where to get help? (if you are in a bushfire affected area):

• Follow the advice of your local state fire brigade and authorities if you are in a bushfire affected area of Australia (Here are all the state based fire services: NSW RFS, QLD RFS, VIC, SA, TAS, NT, WA, ACT)
• For emergency help, call 000

What can I do if I am feeling stressed about the bushfires?

• Reach out and speak to someone you trust: This could be a friend or adult in your life, or a professional. Lifeline and Kids Helpline are also available to chat 24/7.
• Speak with others in the forums community: There are a ton of young people here to lend a listening ear
• Self care: Make sure you are doing all the things you need to do for your wellbeing. We have some threads that might help here on wellbeing and here for self care
• Take a break from social media and news media if you need to: Here is a guide on dealing with bad world news that has some helpful tips for coping with news
• Help to keep your community safe with these suggestions from the rural fire service

As a community, let's support each other through this tough time 

Have other ideas about how to look after yourself and your community during bushfire season? You can share them here 

[Bananatime04]

@Jess1-RO I think this is a really nice post
I have no doubt that it will be very beneficial for those affected by this horrible disaster

[Jess1-RO]

Thanks @Bananatime04!

I am also going to link a few more resources to this thread I found this morning:

• Headspace has this article How to cope with the stress of natural disasters 
• Lifeline has this article about Recovering after a natural disaster. They also have a bunch of fact sheets
• Health direct have this tool kit on Natural Disasters. It links to other articles and supports 
• Beyondblue have this article about looking after yourself after a disaster 
• Red cross have emergency support available here

[MisoBear]

I'm not in an area where the fires are but I just wanted to hop on here to let those who have been affected know we're thinking of you here on the forums. <3

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @MisoBear, really love message of support  

[WheresMySquishy]

@Jess1-RO  I am personally not affected by the bushfires, but I think this post will help a lot of people.

Thinking of everyone affected by this tragedy.

[recharging_introvert]

All my love to those who have already been affected by bush fires this fire season 

[lokifish]

Hey all,

Bushfire season has now also arrived down south For any fellow Victorians, tomorrow is a total fire ban day, including a CODE RED/CATASTROPHIC in the Mallee and Northern Country regions. If you live in either of these regions, please try and head south TONIGHT if you can.

I'd really encourage everyone to check out what their fire district is here.

It's definitely a bit of a scary time, so if anyone needs to chat, we are here

[Jess1-RO]

Thanks for flagging @lokifish 

There are so many young people and families across the country currently feeling the stress and impact of bushfires Just a reminder that if you are in a bush fire affected area, follow the directions of local authorities.

If you are not in a bush fire affected area at the moment, you may still be feeling stressed about bush fires. If you are feeling stressed today, we encourage you to look after yourself and your communities. Need a starting point for self care? We have you covered! 

What can I do to manage my stress today? 

• Check out our Toolbox of helpful hints, activities, distractions and self care to get you started!
• Be around others today and talk about how you are feeling. We have a list of urgent help support services if you are feeling distressed and need to speak to someone straight away
• Do the things you enjoy- me time when you are feeling stressed is important! You can use this quiz to check out your chill style and work out what you find relaxing
• Check out our Worrytime App to help with those stressful thoughts
• Take a moment to ground yourself with apps like headspace or smiling mind that focus on easy-to-do meditation
• Tell us what you are doing for self care today here

If you need to chat, you can make a new topic here and talk it through with our community- we got your back! It's times like this where we see the resilience of communities coming together to support each other. We are here for you 

[WheresMySquishy]

I hope that everyone is staying safe.

A lot of people are getting sick from the smoke.
I went into the city earlier this week and it was just so bad. It was so hazy.
Here  are some health precautions for keeping safe in the conditions.