Psychologist Mutlu Barış explains how to overcome earthquake anxiety to 12punto: 'We must not internalize the news'

Earthquakes that occur from time to time in certain parts of the country negatively affect our mental health. Psychologist Mutlu Barış stated, "To overcome earthquake anxiety, we must not internalize the news and we must take the necessary precautions."

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Psychologist Mutlu Barış explains how to overcome earthquake anxiety to 12punto: 'We must not internalize the news'

Earthquakes, which can occur anywhere and at any time, leave negative effects on human psychology.

Psychologist Mutlu Barış, wrote about what an earthquake makes a person feel and what needs to be done to overcome earthquake anxiety for 12punto. The article by Psychologist Mutlu Barış:

The article by Psychologist Mutlu Barış:

"The unpredictability of an earthquake, the fact that it happens suddenly, and its uncertainty generally leave a lasting impact on human psychology. We call this post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that emerges unexpectedly, pushing people into deep fear, anxiety, and helplessness.

People who have experienced an earthquake often fear it will happen again, and various symptoms may emerge due to anxious thoughts such as 'what if it happens again' or 'what if it recurs'. Symptoms such as physical pain, sleep problems, inability to re-enter the home, recurring memories, and nightmares may be observed.

In particular, individuals who have experienced an earthquake before can be triggered even by a lower-magnitude earthquake that does not cause destruction, like the one today, even if it is not as severe as the previous one.

'THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKE IS A TRAUMA FOR ALL OF US'

In fact, people who have experienced an earthquake before can be affected even more if they have not received support regarding this issue. As you know, the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake that occurred last February is a trauma for all our people. As the anniversary of this earthquake approaches, yesterday In the Marmara Region the occurrence of an earthquake has been another factor increasing anxiety.

Even those who were not at the scene were affected by this trauma in some way by watching it on television, hearing about it, talking on the phone, or going to the region to help.

'NOT EVERYONE MAY BE STRONG'

Everyone's reaction to trauma is different. We have an innate adaptive information processing mechanism. This mechanism may not be very strong in everyone. Those who are strong can overcome that trauma without receiving any professional support, but some people definitely need to receive support. The most important reason why we are currently experiencing earthquake anxiety is that it is uncertain.

As you know Kahramanmaraş the earthquake and before that Gölcük earthquake occurred in this country. We still feel the psychological effects of the Gölcük earthquake today. Citizens experienced this earthquake in their homes, at a time and place where they felt safest.

'WE MUST NOT INTERNALIZE THE NEWS'

It should not be forgotten that we, as a society, are connected to each other by heart. Therefore, a trauma experienced in any part of our country affects us all deeply. Things to do to cope with trauma include using the media only for the purpose of getting news as much as possible, not being exposed to too much negative news, not internalizing the news, and staying in touch with our loved ones, even if only by phone.

Engaging in hobbies outside of our work and being involved with music and art helps us overcome earthquake anxiety.

Doing something for the things we can control and stopping worrying about the things we cannot control will be good for our mental health."

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