To everyone who suffered damage from the major earthquake with its epicenter off eastern Aomori Prefecture,
and to everyone whose family or loved ones were affected, we offer our heartfelt sympathies.
As I kept seeing the news, warnings, and information on social media,
I think many of you have found your chest tightening or felt unable to calm down, even if you live far from the epicenter.
After seeing images of strong shaking or a tsunami, the mind may react in the following ways:
- Becoming overly sensitive even to small noises or tremors
- Sleeping lightly, or waking up easily in the middle of the night
- Memories of past painful experiences or previous disasters coming back
These reactions are not because you are “weak” or because your “mental health is bad,”
but are very natural responses that happen when the mind and body are working at full capacity to protect you from danger.If right now you are thinking, “Is something wrong with me?” or “It’s pathetic to feel anxious over something like this,”
and part of you is blaming yourself, first try putting that blaming voice a little to the side.
Here, I’ll share a few ways to care for your mind after an event like this.
1. Don’t deny that you are feeling scared
“I’m hardly affected at all, so why am I scared…?”
“There are people dealing with far worse, so I shouldn’t be saying I’m anxious.”
When you
try to “press down” on your own emotions from aboveit only prolongs the pain in your heart.There is no right or wrong in what you feel.
First, try saying quietly to yourself:
“You were scared.”
“It makes sense to feel anxious.”
Acknowledging your reactions as facts rather than judging them is the first step toward recovery.
2. Adjust your distance from information yourself
The more anxious we are, the harder it is to look away from the screen.
But when your mind is already tired and you keep exposing yourself to intense images and words,
it becomes like continuously throwing sand onto a “wound in the heart.”
Set a number or amount of time for checking the news each day
- Don’t keep watching the same footage over and over
- If social media is making your anxiety worse, take a temporary break
- and so on,
try to be mindful ofchoosing the amount of information for yourself.The goal is not to make anxiety zero, but to draw a boundary so you don’t place too much strain on your heart.
3. Calm the body to restore the “foundation” of the mind
When your head is full of anxiety, trying to change the way you think may not work well.
In times like that, it helps to make the body feel a little more at ease before trying to work on thoughts.
For example,
try slowly exhaling for a few breaths,
- drink a warm beverage little by little, savoring it,
- slowly roll your shoulders and neck within a pain-free range,
- Even these small actions
can help loosen nervous tension and bring you back to the “here and now.”4. Value the ability to ask for help, not “weakness”Even if this earthquake was not the direct trigger,
for some people it may bring up anxiety or loneliness that had been kept deep inside for a long time.
“I’d just be a burden if I talked to someone” or “I should handle this myself”
Many people have probably been carrying it alone like that for years.
But when your heart is truly hurting,
opening up honestly to someone close to you
or using public consultation services and professional support
- is not a sign of weakness,
- but an action taken to protect yourself and the people you care about.
Please, if you need to, don’t carry it alone—make use of outside help as well.I hope this article becomes a hint for a new way of facing things,not by blaming yourself for being scared,
but by standing beside yourself when you are scared,
and I hope it helps you find a new way to face what you’re feeling.
I sincerely hope that peaceful days return as soon as possible to the affected areas,
and that each person now living with anxiety will gradually begin to regain a sense of calm.
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