A GUIDE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERSContents

A GUIDE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS

Being an Employee Supporting Employees

  • Listen to others.
  • Don't keep conflicts and make sure you connect with others every day.
  • Write down your self-care plan.
  • Develop trust among colleagues.
  • If a coworker is engaging in behavior that is dangerous to himself or others, encourage him to seek help and be willing to refer him to a counselor if necessary.
  • If job responsibilities are overwhelming, try to team up to offer help and share each other's workload.

DEALING WITH STRESS

WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress is any physical, emotional or spiritual demand that exceeds available resources.

Stress Due to a Critical Event

A situation caused by an unexpected and violent event that physically or psychologically harms or suddenly threatens a person.

Accumulated Stress

It can be felt gradually after disasters or emergencies. It may be related to living conditions, the political environment, repetitive and challenging assignments, or intimate experience of victims' suffering.

CAUSES OF STRESS

  • Inadequate preparation and briefing
  • Being part of a collective crisis
  • prolonged exposure to stressful situations
  • Physically demanding, strenuous and dangerous tasks
  • chronic fatigue
  • Feeling inadequate to cope with a task or multiple tasks
  • Confronting moral and ethical dilemmas
  • Being separate from your support system
  • feeling unsupported by others
  • Unclear, insufficient or inconsistent control

Causes of Stress Due to a Critical Event

  • Death of a family member
  • death of coworkers
  • Experiencing a complex emergency or natural disaster situation
  • Exposure to multiple deaths
  • Direct and/or indirect threats

STRESS SYMPTOMS

  • sleep difficulties
  • Inefficiency
  • thoughtless behavior
  • Insulation
  • Neglecting safety and physical needs
  • antisocial behavior
  • Self-medication (alcohol, tobacco, caffeine or drugs)
  • inability to concentrate
  • chronic fatigue
  • Somatic symptoms (frequent stomach pain, headache, extreme weight loss or weight gain, chest pain)
  • chronic feelings of anxiety

STRESS PREVENTION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

Employee Personal Care

  • Identify the major stressors.
  • Take care of yourself while helping others.
  • Understand that stress is inherent in emergency response work.
  • Take time to rest and relax.
  • Practice stress management techniques such as deep breathing, relaxation, meditation, prayer, physical activity, music, reading, engaging with humor.
  • Consume healthy food.
  • exercise
  • If possible, avoid overwork and long working hours.
  • Avoid self-medication (alcohol, drugs, etc.).
  • Listen and support others.
  • Talk about your experiences and your reactions.
  • Maintain and maintain team spirit.
  • Develop realistic business expectations.
  • Keep in touch with friends and family at home.
  • Seek support and advice.
  • Engage in an interrogation of stress related to a critical event with team members.

EXPLORE YOUR METHODS

Write down your personal answers to the following questions to deal with stress:

  • What stress factors have you identified?
  • What stress relief methods can you use?
  • What new stress relief methods have you committed to yourself?