By Stan Ashbee
From afar, southern Albertans have watched and heard about the devastation and loss in Jasper and surrounding area due to wildfires.
“It reminds us life can change in a moment. Sometimes those things that occur like natural disasters, remind us of the things that are truly important,” says Family and Community Support Services Counselling Services Supervisor Michael Fedunec. “It puts things in perspective.”
Fedunec notes for those from afar, take a moment and take stock of what is valuable and what isn’t. “What are the priorities and most important things in your life if a disaster were to happen in your local area?”
“Would you be prepared emotionally and mentally to handle the challenges? Would you be prepared to recognize things you once thought were important, are not as important as some other things?”
Some people, Fedunec adds, will become anxious and may think, “If it could happen to Jasper, it could happen to us.”
“Anytime there is any kind of disclosure of a fire nearby or there’s smoke or perhaps when the wind picks up – those kinds of things can be triggering,” says Fedunec. “If the anxiety and stress impede on one’s personal life to the degree it impacts daily activities and productivity, it’s best to seek out some professional help to find coping strategies.”
As for those directly affected by the wildfires, Jasper and area residents must deal with the loss of homes, loss of property and the loss of memories.
“Loss of property can be huge because it represents a lifetime of work and investment,” states Fedunec. “As much as people will be resilient and talk about rebuilding, there’s still that element of even in rebuilding you can’t bring back what’s gone. All you can do is start over and that sometimes can be difficult to do.”
According to Fedunec, anxiety will also be huge, as it’s a very traumatic event. “That can trigger anxiety in the future of anytime there’s a fire or anytime there’s any kind of natural disaster-type thing. More than likely, a good number of people are going to find themselves becoming anxious because of the fear of losing everything again.”
For some people, the future may look uncertain, as this traumatic event continues to unfold. For others, they may not have the means to rebuild. “Anxiety will be there because there’s a lot of unknowns,” says Fedunec.
Common symptoms of anxiety and loss include insomnia, a change in eating habits, tightness in the chest, body aches and pains and an increase in alcohol or tobacco use.
Fedunec says people experiencing these symptoms shouldn’t become overly concerned, unless they start to notice those symptoms impeding on their day-to-day activities, productivity is lessened or symptoms are affecting relationships.
“They should probably seek out professional help from a counsellor or a therapist to get some tools and coping strategies to deal with those particular symptoms they’re experiencing.”