03 Mar 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week has been simply phenomenal. The scale of what has been experienced throughout the North Coast is beyond anything any of us have experienced before. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been directly affected. And still, even if we haven’t been directly affected, there won’t be one of us who hasn’t experienced something horrific this week-by watching on a device, or directly seeing or hearing what was happening.
One of the biggest questions people can have at these times is “what can we do?”-how do we help those who have been traumatised, how do we look after ourselves; what do we do today/tomorrow/next week?
First things first-Look. After. Yourself! If you run yourself into the ground, you won’t be able to help anyone. Whether it’s rebuilding your own home, cleaning someone else’s or caring for children so other people can do the heavy lifting: you’re going to need energy. Take a breath, take time to recharge and make sure you get some rest when you can.
One of the best things you can do is to focus on right now-what do I need right now? What does this person I’m helping need right now? Everyone will need things in the future, which can be completely overwhelming. We will get to the future in the future, but what needs to happen right now?
Does this person need shelter? Do you need a shower? Have they eaten in the last 12 hours? Do they need a quiet place to sleep? Can you help them apply for the emergency payments through Centrelink? These are the most important things right now.
For those who are completely overwhelmed by what has happened, making the first step is often the hardest. Sometimes we just need to do what needs to be done first for them (with permission). For the person struggling to know where to start the clean up, offering to start with the lounge/bed/bath room might remove that pressure. For the people struggling with having lost their livelihood, providing dinner removes one more decision and frees up just a little bit of headspace.
Hug those who need it right now. Listen to those who need to talk. Feed those who need nourishing.
If they need more help than you can give right now, call in the big guns. School Counsellors will be back on site when schools are operational again. These options may help in the meantime:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Mental Health Access Line: 1800 011 511
eHeadspace: eheaspace.org.au
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
In the event of an emergency, call 000
And remember: Look. After. Yourself!
Kristin
School Counsellor
Psychologist PSY0000992021
Alstonville High School (Base)
Wollongbar Public School