OPINION
Anxiety. We all experience it to some extent.
It’s that clenching feeling in our chest and in our gut when our body anticipates stress or danger, the ancient fight, flight or freeze response kicking in and trying to prepare us for action.
Anxiety is a normal part of the human experience, a hangover from the days when our ancestors needed to think fast to avoid being mauled by a woolly mammoth.
I bet many of you, like myself, have been experiencing a spectrum of anxiety in recent months.
Understandable if so. Our safe little haven in the middle of nowhere is beginning to feel a whole lot less stable lately. Our anxiety is all too real.
Everything – well, everything except property anyway – is steadily increasing in price. Shortages are everywhere. Interest rates just keep climbing up. Criminals appear to be growing ever more brazen.
And the weather. Oh, the weather.
What a devastating last few weeks we’ve had. First the severity of the floods in Auckland and the Coromandel, then the deadly destruction of Cyclone Gabrielle as it hit Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti soon after.
The stories that people have been sharing of loved ones lost, of imminent danger, of survival ... I just don’t have the words. Heart-wrenching comes close. Horror scratches the surface.
All of us knew the cyclone was going to be rough, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how bad things were going to get.
Those of us who have been in the Bay of Plenty for a good period of time have had a fair few brushes with flooding and storm damage. We’re no strangers to it, that’s for sure.
But what happened last week – and what’s still happening – was extreme, even by New Zealand’s standards.
Our nation is grieving for the lives that have been lost and the survivors whose lives have been forever changed. Homes and properties have been destroyed. Some irreplaceable belongings will be gone forever. Jobs and livelihoods will be lost.
Public infrastructure is severely damaged and that is going to make recovery efforts even harder.
Not only do those affected have to deal with the physical aftermath of the storm, their mental health is also going to come under huge strain.
Common reactions experienced in the days after a natural disaster include: feeling overwhelmed, having an inability to focus, intrusive memories and bad dreams, and constant tearfulness.
The likelihood of experiencing anxiety disorders and depression increases after a natural disaster too, as do conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks and sleep disturbance.
It’s a lot to handle and the long-term effects will be wide-reaching.
Even those of us who weren’t directly affected by the cyclone are still going to feel its impact.
Our already anxious country is about to come under a lot more pressure.
Hawke’s Bay is a huge agricultural hub for our country and many of those crops are just ... gone, which will have a big impact on some food prices.
Those of us who are already struggling to feed our families are going to find it harder still in coming months. We, too, will be battling anxiety and depression.
Times are hard. And they’re going to get harder, no doubt about that.
It’s the devastating reality that living in a country like ours means that we are prone to certain types of natural disasters, be they floods, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions – all of which have claimed precious lives here in Aotearoa in very recent memory.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that we Kiwis are at our best in times of hardship and need.
It’s that No 8 wire mentality – we’ll get stuck in and help however we can.
Aero clubs in Tauranga and Rotorua have banded together with private donators and aid organisations to deliver emergency supplies to some of the worst-hit areas.
Millions of dollars have been donated to the Red Cross and NZME disaster relief fundraiser, which will be used to support the work of the New Zealand Red Cross in providing essential resources, and physical and practical support to those who need it.
Once roads open up and travel becomes safer, hordes of us will be making our way across the country to help our loved ones strip houses and muck out debris.
But just remember that help isn’t always about lending a hand – sometimes it can mean lending an ear.
Keep an eye on the people around you for any change in mood or habit – even a seemingly small change can be a symptom of anxiety or depression. Let them know with your words and your actions that you will be there to support them without judgment.
We will do what we can to get through this hard time together.
Donations can be made here: New Zealand Disaster Fund | New Zealand Red Cross
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader, and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
The teenager was last seen at the LynnMall Shopping Centre in West Auckland on Wednesday.
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