ADVICE: Looking after your wellbeing after the storm

Friday 03 November 2023

Storm Ciarán caused devastation across the island this week – but not all of that damage is visible to the eye.

As islanders look to repair and rebuild, they should also take time to look after their own – and others' – wellbeing.

Here, Express summarises the support services available to help, and spoke to Dr Jessica Langtree-Marsh, a local GP, about the tips and tricks that she likes to turn to in troubling times...

Major incidents and our mental health

"The island has been through a major incident, and that can trigger real physical and psychological symptoms," Dr Langtree-Marsh explained.

"It’s important to recognise this. When we lived through a pandemic and saw things happen that we thought could never happen have, feelings might be triggered more quickly. We’ve learned to expect the unexpected."

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dr Jessica Langtree-Marsh (@jersey_gynae_gp)

She continued: "Over the last five years, once in a lifetime events have happened over and over again, like flooding, an explosion, and we are worn down."

Five tips to look after yourself

Her five tips to improve your mental wellbeing are below:

• Parent yourself: "Eat good food, get good sleep, exercise if you want to, in a gentle way. When things are chaotic, be your own parent. It's easy to slip into unhealthy habits."

• Control the controllable: "When things feel like they're spiralling or you don't know what will happen or you're worried about things, write them down and work out what you can do about each one."

• Stick to a routine: "That can help you feel anchored. But recognise in the short-term that goals might look slightly different."

• Talk about it: "With friends or family. But sometimes, if you don't want to talk about, maybe just write something down."

• Acknowledge that this is a stress response: "We seem to be made to recover from these events quite quickly, but it's okay to acknowledge that you are stressed and not able to do that. If you are struggling, go wider, see a GP, use other services."

Where can I find support if I need it?

It is a normal response for people to feel upset, angry or distressed after a traumatic event, and talking about it can be very beneficial – the following services are available to help:

Jersey Talking Therapies:

JTT@health.gov.je

01534 445002

Mind Jersey:

admin@mindjersey.org

07829 933 929

Mental health crisis support:

If you experience a mental-health crisis, you can call 01534 445290 at any time.

Children and Families Hub:

childrenandfamilieshub@gov.je

01534 519000

How can I help my children?

The Government has put together a video with the following advice:

If you want to, follow Express for all the latest Storm Ciarán updates – but remember, it's ok to switch off too... We'll be right here when you need us.