Friends, everyone of us was thrown into shock, disbelief, pain, sadness and other feelings. Whereas we were all affected in some way the top university administrators and occupants of the offices on the Main Building lost more than the rest of us. They lost valuables, information, space to work from and any other losses that may not be remembered now but will be recalled when needed in future.
Amidst all this we thank God that no one was physically harmed. However, this doesn’t mean people may not be affected emotionally/psychologically. I wish to share a few tips that we can use as first aid to ensure psychological health.
- Use appropriate physical exercises alternated with relaxation. These will alleviate some of the physical reactions.
- Structure your time – keep busy.
- You’re normal and having normal reactions – don’t label yourself crazy.
- Talk to people – talk is the most healing medicine.
- Be aware of numbing the pain with overuse of drugs or alcohol. You don’t need to complicate this with a substance abuse problem.
- Reach out – people do care.
- Maintain as normal a schedule as possible.
- Spend time with others and talk about what happened to you.
- Help others who were affected as much as possible by sharing feelings and checking on how they are doing.
- Give yourself permission to feel bad and share your feelings with others.
- Keep a journal. Write down your thoughts and feelings about the incident. Research has shown that this is very effective for symptom reduction and resolution of the trauma.
- Do things that feel good to you.
- Realise those around you are under stress.
- Don’t make any big life changes.
- Do make as many daily decisions as possible which will give you a feeling of control over your life, i.e., if someone asks you what you want to eat, answer them even if you’re not sure.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Reoccurring thoughts, dreams or flashbacks are normal – don’t try to fight them – they’ll decrease over time and become less painful.
- Eat well-balanced and regular meals (even if you don’t feel like it).
Some of us have family and friends who are more affected. What will be your role?
For Family and Friends
- Listen carefully
- Spend time with the traumatised person
- Offer your assistance and a listening ear if they have not asked for help
- Reassure them that they are safe
- Help them with everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking, caring for the family, minding children.
- Give them some private time.
- Don’t take their anger or other feelings personally.
- Don’t tell them that they are “lucky it wasn’t worse” – traumatized people are not consoled by those statements. Instead, tell them that you are sorry such an event has occurred and you want to understand and assist them.
NOTE: Feel free to seek psychosocial support services from the university Counselling and Guidance Centre by walking in, calling to schedule an appointment or using virtual means. We are glad to announce that our professional colleagues from University of California Berkeley have offered to provide staff with free psychosocial support services using virtual means like zoom, skype and so on.
Henry Nsubuga
Manager, Counselling and Guidance Centre,
Plot 106, Mary Stuart Road (Opposite Mary Stuart Hall),
Makerere University
Email: hnsubuga[at]cgc.mak.ac.ug
Tel: +256-772-558022
Click here for more information about the Counselling and Guidance Centre
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