Focus On Mental Health | How I Am Dealing With It After A Natural Disaster

Ulysses’ Wrath

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This image was taken from my friend and kumpare's window. Many of the neighbor's houses are under water already.


The recent typhoon that hit the Philippines was a monster. Ulysses (known as Vamco internationally), caused the worst flooding in Metro Manila since 2009. This is a big deal for a country expecting at least 20 typhoons a year.

As a strong Category-4 equivalent typhoon, it formed on November 8, 2020 and dissipated after seven days, on November 15. It dissipated after bringing about enormous damage to property and causing many lives to be lost. The 130 mph (215 km/h) sustained winds rolled over everything in its path.

Living in a city directly affected by Ulysses, it was a long night of worrying and fear for a lot of people in our province; neighbors, friends and animals roaming the streets were badly beaten.

It was difficult for me to write about the experience so shortly after seeing the destruction all around. We were lucky to be in a relatively safe and “protected” location, but sadly many of our friends were not.

Social Media Onslaught


Skimming through my social media accounts in the past few days was a sight to behold. The stories people were sharing were really disturbing. A dog shelter in the middle of a severely flooded area, a historic tree fallen, dead people.

There are a couple of friends soliciting donations that I shared in the social media pages that I manage, and then there are friends calling out for help with no food or water, and no way to bring food and water to them. The last one caught me by surprise. It quietly sank in… I felt helpless…

I could have made a couple of #mentalhealthawareness posts easily with the stories I was hearing. Good and bad, some were heroic and inspiring, but some tragic in every way possible.

Catharsis


Writing about the feelings here on HIVE caused a release of emotions, not a tidal wave of emotions, but small and piercing bits and pieces.

While I kept myself busy trading on the Hive Engine for more than a week already, the world kept turning around me. I have been quiet, except for 1 post, about the recent events, trying to suppress the sadness.

I meditate everyday. I pray everyday. I breathe constantly; interacting with the universe and the divine. But, writing is my therapy. It has been a refuge for the most part of my life; in times like this more than others. In a way, blogging on the blockchain will help balance my life in the next few weeks, months. Until the country recovers from the typhoon and until the world recovers from the pandemic. It also helps knowing that people are doing good, as calamities often bring out the best in us - offering whatever they have to help those who need it the most.

I will end my post having brought deep, hidden, bottled-up thoughts and feelings out into the open; hopefully, to be processed to completion; hopefully, to be inspired to action.

2020 has been a challenge - a big challenge to all of us. It is also an opportunity to upgrade ourselves, to uplift and evolve into a better, stronger, more compassionate, connected human race, because we are.

There have been some posts from Filipino Hiveans about the enormous damage brought about by the typhoon. I hope this post puts the spotlight in the human effects of such a catastrophe as well, and how to deal with it in the aftermath.

Thanks for reading. All is well. Mabuhay everyone!




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I meditate everyday. I pray everyday. I breathe constantly; interacting with the universe and the divine. But, writing is my therapy.

So glad to see you find solace in this beautiful blockchain of ours. Writing is an extraordinary therapy. I've taken to free writing in a journal when things get super tough and it helps enormously.

Badge on it's way to you soon.

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I do appreciate blogging in the blockchain, immensely. One of the best ways to dig deep into oneself is to write about it. There's something about the process of thinking and neurons firing in the brain that helps us in opening up deeper levels of the subconscious. It's a blessing. And, yeah, I agree: our blockchain is beautiful; one of the best out there on the web. :)

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