​​​​​​While you cannot control a stressful situation, you can control how you REACT to it.

Remove yourself and your loved ones from danger. Find shelter, water, and food as your first step to coping. You’ll feel safer physically and emotionally.

Eat healthy food and drink water often. Aim for 1 cup (250 mL) of water every 2 hours. Limit foods or drinks that have a lot of sugar or caffeine. These foods may give you a quick boost, but they can make stress worse.

Activity. Find balance between activity and rest. Physical activity can help you feel calmer and cope better. A 15 minute walk allows your brain to release chemicals that help calm you so you can deal with stress better. Get enough sleep. Too little sleep can make you feel overwhelmed, which makes it hard to cope. Take 15 to 45 minute naps during the day if you need to. Don’t nap after 6 p.m. so you’re tired at bedtime.

Connect. Find ways to help others when you can and accept help from others when you need it. This helps remind you that you're not alone. Helping each other builds community and hope.

Talk. Let friends and family know where you are and how you’re doing. Talk to family, friends, or support workers about how you feel. Your feelings are a normal response to an unexpected event. Talking about them and allowing yourself to feel what you feel can help you recover.

Disasters and emergencies change people

A single disaster or emergency can create several losses at the same time. After something like a wildfire, you might lose your home, your community, your job, your sense of safety, and even people you care about.

It can be hard to cope with so many things at once. It’s normal to feel grief, sadness, overwhelmed, anxious, and unsure about what comes next. Everyone who goes through a disaster or emergency is affected in some way. It’s normal to have symptoms of stress.

Everyone has a different way of coping with the same event. Some people don’t show signs of stress until several weeks or months after a traumatic event.

Common reactions to a disaster or emergency:

​Physical

• headache or body aches
• upset stomach, diarrhea, cramps
• being thirstier than usual
• changes in energy level
• faster heart rate
• faster, shallow breaths
• sweating

Behaviour

• always alert
• startle easily
• sleep too much or too little
• withdrawing or pulling away from people

Emotional

• feel anxious, helpless, or guilty
• have mood swings or don't feel emotion
• feel unmotivated or have a hard time getting started on tasks
• feel disconnected from others

Thinking

• trouble concentrating or remembering
• recall or reliving sad events
• trouble making decisions
• questioning spiritual beliefs

Talk to a trusted friend, counsellor, or other support person in your life if:

• you feel stressed and you can’t manage on your own
• your emotional reactions are getting in the way of your relationships, work, or other important activities
• other people are worried about how you’re doing or feeling

What can I do?

Focus on what needs to happen today

Decide what’s important. It can be easier to cope if you break down big challenges into smaller, manageable steps.

• Make a list of what you need to do in the next day or week to keep you and your family safe and comfortable.
• Find help for you and your family.
• Get back to your daily routines as much as possible. Routines like mealtimes, bedtimes, and day-to-day activities can help you feel calm and in control.
• Find a reliable source for updates and information. Take regular breaks from listening to or watching news reports. Thinking and talking about the events too much can make you feel more stressed.

What can wait until tomorrow?

Try not to do everything all at once. Make a plan about when you’ll think about or do something about things that can wait until you and your family are safe.

• Find out when to follow-up with insurance claims.
• Find out when to apply for relief funds.
• Write a list of repairs that need to be done.