Psychology

• Emergencies are characterized by lack of certainty, causing changes and disruptions to our daily routine.
• Emotional and behavioral responses of people experiencing an emergency differ from one individual to another in their intensity, but are essentially alike.
• It is possible to detect common physical reactions, such as fatigue, weakness, lack of appetite, etc., and also common emotional reactions, such as fears, anxieties, sadness, depression, inability to focus, etc.
•  It is important to know that these are normal responses to an abnormal situation.

•  Many parents express concern about their children’s responses to emergencies and want to know how to help them.
•  Indeed, frequently in emergencies, we see changes and even regressions in our children’s behavior.
• It is important to know that, in most cases, these are normal responses to an abnormal situation.

To relieve stress:

• Protect yourself: Follow directions regarding secure spaces. These are effective in saving lives.
•  Know what to do: Ahead of time, plan what you are personally going to do once the siren sounds, step by step. Learn the steps, and drill them.
• Be with people: Try to be with someone else, and try to share what you’re feeling with that person (spouse or partner, a friend, a parent).
• Be informed: When we are facing the unknown, our anxieties tend to get blown out of proportion.
•  Be good to yourself: Do things that relax you in your daily life (listen to music, read, do a crossword puzzle, surf the internet, watch a soap opera).
• Stay busy: Try to occupy yourself with various tasks (adults: working, keeping a journal, doing something creative, arranging a photo album; children: taking responsibility for an elderly neighbor/small child/a pet, arranging activities for the other children in the secure space). 

•  Share your concerns with them. Ask them to think differently about the question of doing it for you and for the rest of the family.
•  Gather information about the importance and necessity of entering the secure space, and try to explain it to them.
• For children: Give them a job that needs to be done in the secure space during an alert.
• For adults: Talk to them about how their behavior is affecting the children.
  
  

• Prepare the children to the extent possible for what is liable to happen in an emergency.
• Prepare a family plan that includes everything that needs to be done during an attack, how to call for help should it become necessary, how to contact family members, a division of labor among family members, etc.
• Try to stick to the daily routine to the extent possible.
• Minimize the exposure of children (particularly the very young) to frightening pictures published in the media.
• Talk to your children about what is going on. Listen to their feelings, and give direct, short and truthful answers to their specific questions.
• Try to project a feeling of confidence and competence. This will reflect in your children’s feelings.
• Should you ever note highly irregular behaviors on the part of your children during an emergency or afterwards, please contact professionals available in every local authority or through non-profit agencies such as ERAN (Emotional First Aid by Telephone; tel. 1201) or NATAL (Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War; tel. 1-800-363363) for help.