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Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember15 Jan 2020, 11:08 am AEDT

Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

The discussion has started, scroll down and keep refreshing your browser to see responses, and keep and eye on the page numbers as there is only 10 posts per page, then a new page will be created.

This event is open for everyone: for people with a direct experience of mental health issues as well as family, friends, loved ones and carers.

A range of impacts across the country

Ringing in 2020 might have felt confronting, complicated or downright tough for Australians as we have all felt/watched/been impacted by the current unprecedented bushfires across multiple states. Between being either close, directly in line with the fires or watching through the media - we want to use this online Forums event to talk as a community through the feelings around this as well as strategies to manage now and address the medium to long term impact these kind of events can have.

Online discussion with a mental health professional

We will have the wonderful @Daphne returning as our special guest who is a counsellor at SANE Australia and leads our counselling team both clinically and operationally. @Daphne has extensive experience as a counsellor in the mental health sector and has worked with both people whom live with mental health issues and their carers or family and friends.

Content warning & further support

Please be aware that this discussion could be triggering relating to trauma and PTSD. SANE Australia is committed to supporting people navigate the lasting impacts of the bushfire crisis and other traumatic events.

For access to ongoing support, the Australian Government has recently announced a mental health support package for people affected by the bushfires. If you have been affected by recent bushfire events and would like to access these supports you can call the Australian Government bushfire disaster assistance line on 180 22 66 or visit: https://www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/mental-health-support-for-bushfire-affected-communities.

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I'm new here - what is Topic Tuesday?

Topic Tuesday runs from 7pm - 9pm AEST monthly. Each month we focus on a different topic, with the session facilitated by a Community Manager or Moderator. Sometimes Topic Tuesday will feature a special guest, who is an expert in the topic.

The first post of the thread (this one) will give you an idea of what the topic is and what will be covered.

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Throughout the session, the facilitator will put questions out for you to answer, usually asking for your own experience on the topic. To contribute to the session, just hit the 'reply' button and share your thoughts. No answers are right or wrong and everyone is welcome to get involved.

What time does this event start in my timezone?

AEDT- 7pm
AEST- 6pm
ACDT- 6:30pm
ACST- 5:30pm
WST- 4pm

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In response to: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:38 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Thanks for sharing your insight @CheerBear about how the bushfires can trigger old unrelated traumas. Trauma is about fearing for your life and it makes sense then that watching the bushfires unfold over the past couple of months would touch on old wounds.

Mindfulness and awareness are def great ways of managing the distress by bringing yourself back to the present and observing the distressing thoughts, rather than engaging in them. And, of course, to connecting to people you trust and who are compassionate to your experience is always helpful

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:38 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Absolutel@Shaz51 connection to others and community is key to recovery.

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Shaz51Senior Contributor28 Jan 2020, 8:39 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

yes @greenspace and with your sister in Darwin where they have lots of summer thinder storms

my step daughter ! lives there too

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:40 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

As a lot of you have mentioned now, connection is so essential for our mental health. We connect for our own needs but also to help others. Whether its talking through the things we are discussing tonight or just being around someone else or being in a social circumstance that brings you some joy. We thought we could goal set together tonight: How can you connect in the next week to help yourself and your community? Remember whatever you do, you need to feel safe, so you can think of anything that is within your comfort here.

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:42 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Connection is really important @Former-Member

for long term recovery and our day to day well-being. If you feel like you want to help with the fire recovery situation but it overwhelms you, try doing something that would be a normal part of your routine anyway. If your crafty, you could sew bat wraps for example or pouches for the surviving animals. You can connect with others that understand you, here on the forum, you could reach out to family and friends or book in an extra session with a counsellor or professional supports.

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

greenspaceSenior Contributor28 Jan 2020, 8:43 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

@Joy139 Writing and reflecting are great strategies

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:46 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Yeah @Joy139 they really are. Writing can help you let go and means you don't have to hold everything in your mind and body. We hold trauma in our bodies so having a ritual like writing can be so helpful.

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

greenspaceSenior Contributor28 Jan 2020, 8:47 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

@Shaz51 My sister has an emergency kit that she keeps stocked with drinking water, etc, and knows where the local shelters are for when Darwin is on cyclone watch.

I realised it could help my anxiety if I had an emergency kit, with tinned food, water, important papers, etc.

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 8:48 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

I've also read that what can be helpful for communities is to come together to rebuild, support each other, share stories and laughs (it's important to find humour where you can) or even to construct memorials as a township to comemorate anniversaries is helping in the healing and recovery process - both individually and as a community.

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

CheerBearSenior Contributor28 Jan 2020, 8:50 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Your mental health and the recent bushfires // Tues 28 Jan, 7pm AEST

I think I can take things I've learnt and insights I've gained tonight into conversations I might have with people over the next week (and from then on) @Former-Member. Just knowing we really don't know how others might be reacting or responding to things inside, and being a bit more sensitive to that perhaps. For me personally, I'm going to connect with my psychologist this week and talk about what's just properly clicked for me about how I can feel when I'm exposed to news and events like this.

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