Today I was reminded of a fairly traumatic winter weather incident.
During the week of Christmas 2008, we got a storm that took power and heat out for D-A-Y-S.
I live in Portland, Oregon, and winter events like this don’t happen that often. Not even every year. We might have a few snowflakes or a day or two of sleet each January or even March, but winter storms are an every-few-years kind of thing.
Therefore, we don’t have the infrastructure to deal with severe winter weather. So when a multiple-day storm passes through, we are S-T-U-C-K.
And that’s where we are now.
But back to Christmas 2008.
I was a year and a half into trauma therapy, diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in 2006. The sexual abuse that I endured as a child happened partly during the Christmas holiday, so at that point in my trauma recovery, Christmas was still extremely hard and I was working through what that was about. I was also trying to be a “good mom” about Christmas for my kids.
A couple of days before Christmas (2008), snow and ice took over the city. Power was out in all areas. First we lost electricity, then we lost heat. On Christmas Eve, the temperature in our house went down into the 40’s.
At the time, I had a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old. We could not stay in our home.
One of our best friends took us in. I was barely able to function from the stress on top of the trauma stuff, but my best friend and her roommate made everything BETTER. They took over and kept us warm and safe and fed and our kids had a wonderful Christmas and honestly didn’t know any better.
A reminder that winter weather is stressful.
This is the reality of severe winter weather:
*Snow and ice.
*Power outages. Internet outages.
*No heat.
*Dicey driving conditions.
*Not able to get places.
*Empty shelves at the store.
*Trying to reschedule stuff.
*Cabin fever.
*Routine disruptions.
(Perhaps, like me, you have a young dog who does not “get” snow and ice but wants to play in it and doesn’t understand why nobody else wants to and WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE, but I digress…)
Uncertainty. Unfamiliar circumstances. Perceived or actual scarcity. Feeling powerless.
Stress kicks up old trauma.
This is on top of whatever “regular” stuff you are dealing with.
What can we do, though?
Acknowledgement goes a long way, which is basically saying out loud what you are and have been dealing with. Living in the present moment can help break up the trauma cycle. It might be uncomfortable, but it will help.
Also helpful:
*Grounding your nervous system (look up 5-4-3-2-1 and body scan meditations in the Anxiety Toolkit)
*Reminding yourself that you are safe.
*Talking to other people.
*Radical acceptance.
*Drink water, eat food, stretch your body, take your meds.
*Chill out (pun intended).
*Acknowledge what has gone well.
*Hot baths, showers, and naps.
*Snuggling.
When the ice has melted, there will be emotional energy to move. Pent up stress will need somewhere to go. We will thaw in more ways than one.
Until then, go gently. And stay safe!
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