More than 200 people have died and several are missing after DANA passed through Spain most devastating in recent decades. The worst part has been taken Valencia and, within the province, ground zero is located in the municipality of Paiporta.
To take into account
Although a week has passed since the heavy rains, the search for the missing continues, as well as cleaning work of the affected areas Valencia. What’s more, the authorities have reduced water from many garages and parking lots this morning.
Luckily, during the tour carried out by the National Police and the Military Emergency Unit (EMU) in silence, shining with flashlights and equipped with vests, helmets, masks and gloves, No victims have been located in the first 50 vehicles inspected in the parking lot of the Bonaire shopping center.
As was foreseeable, this situation of uncertainty of know What has happened to a lost loved one causes a shock traumatic and even not being able to look after a lifeless body can lead to pathological grief.
How can the topic be discussed with the little ones?
Now, how should they explain parents affected by this natural disaster to their children? According to Pilar Lopez Moraleshealth psychologist with different specialtiesamong them, suicide, even though it is “very difficult“Finding the right words to address the topic is important”show that we are with them“.
The reason? It is clear: parents are the security figures they need at the moment. To address the issue, one can use phrases as:
- I’m here with you.
- You can tell me how you feel.
- I’m not going to leave you alone, you’re sure.
- I’m here to protect you.
- It’s normal how you feel, I feel that way too.
- We will get through it together.
- After the storm, calm comes.
“They understand actions more than words”
“In these types of cases, more than words, what is necessary is accompaniment, affection and support, since children understand more actions than words, for example, hugs“, the expert has told ‘theEconomist‘.
In general, a natural disaster of these characteristics can create a feeling of confusion in children, for not understanding what happened and the consequences that such a disaster has caused. Besides, Lopez Morales has highlighted that they can develop “anxiety about anticipating it happening again“.
This can be greatly reflected in a separation anxiety disorder, where children may be terrified that their parents –your biggest attachment figures– something happens to them. “Also, obviouslychildren who have been exposed to images, losses, etc., can develop trauma that can manifest itself in adulthood in the form of anxiety, depression, or even a PET (post-traumatic stress disorder)”, he clarified.
For children to express what they feel, Parents can foster a safe and supportive environmentusing more bearable tools to channel emotions, taking time to talk about your feelings, asking you to draw your perceptions, choosing what color you feel, or even using the emotions of “inside out” to better identify and express what they have inside.
“To relax later and soften the discomfort, You can use the butterfly techniqueinterlocking the thumbs, and the flapping of the hands (simulating the flight of a butterfly), will mark the rhythm of breathing. Doing it with them will help them feel better,” the specialist stressed.
Recommendations
López Morales, as if that were not enough, has launched a series of tips to parents to help their children process their emotions after a traumatic situation. These are:
- Show support.
- Be a figure of security and comfort for the child.
- Let him freely express what he feels.
- Do not hide or deceive about what has happened, but rather, through language adapted to their age.
*You can use ‘Aurora‘, a free children’s story created by the child psychologist Carmen Estebanknown on networks as @mipsicologainfantil, to explain DANA to the little ones.
“In the case of children who have lost family members, pets, or something that the little one has a connection toFor example, a stuffed animal with which you slept, it is important to carry out a farewell ritual so that the mourning is as healthy as possible within this catastrophic scenarioabove all, for them, who live the world from another perspective”, concluded Lopez Morales.
How? Well, writing him a letter and burning it so that it reaches heaven or telling him that the people he has lost will smile at him with rainbows. That is, everything that the child can help you deal with your loss more bearably and feel that you have closed your goodbyes..
#explain #children #happened #DANA #psychologist
