Upsetting and unsettling events, such as cyclone turned tropical storm Debbie, can cause anxiety, distress, and even trauma for your kids. What makes this more alarming than it already is? Your children might carry that trauma years after the disaster is over. If left unaddressed, it can even have permanent effects on their mental and emotional health.

What does this mean for you as a parent?

Before a disaster, you take steps to prepare your home for severe impact. You must do the same to ensure that your family is psychologically prepared for a terrifying catastrophe. As a parent, you must help your children prepare for disasters.

Teach them how to deal with the psychological impacts of calamities the right way.

Here are three simple steps you can follow to help children prepare for disasters.

ANTICIPATE

Anticipate that disasters are stressful. Know the extent and strength of the calamity. Knowing the enemy is winning half the battle.

IDENTIFY

Thoughts and emotions control actions. If left unidentified and unaddressed, they can lead to physical stress and tension.

Teach children how to recognise their thoughts and feelings during a stressful event. Before acting on anything, it is best to stop, assess the situation, and listen to senses. Once they have identified what they are feeling and thinking, they can then proceed to manage them the right way.

MANAGE

Fear and anxiety are expected reactions during a disaster. On the other hand, it is important to teach your children to manage thoughts and feelings to avoid them from making decisions that might compromise their safety. Simple breathing exercises and positive self-talk are effective relaxation techniques that will help alleviate anxiety.

Another important tip to help children prepare for disasters: Let them be involved in your family’s disaster preparation.

A practical task can serve as a distraction from purposeless thoughts. Being a part of your family’s “planning committee” can help reduce their anxiety and give them a sense of achievement.

Cyclone Debbie is slowing down, but that doesn’t mean you can put your shoulders down. We implore you to be alert and ready until the threat is over.