Self Care Strategies for Recovering from Tragedies & Crises

General Tips

• Keep your normal schedule and routines as much as possible.
• Eat healthful meals at regular times.
• Stay reasonably active, perhaps even becoming a little more active than usual.
• Plan activities in order to reduce boredom.
• Participate in enjoyable activities with your friends and family.
• Reserve adequate (and maybe even a little extra) time for rest.
• Address sleep problems.

• Talk with people who care about you.
• Express your reactions about tragedies to people who will not only listen but also try to understand.
• Avoid expressing your reactions to people who might judge you or feel hurt by your honesty.
• Seek relief and understanding by turning to spirituality, philosophy, poetry, music, art, gardening, tennis, walks, reading, or volunteerism.
• Let other people know what you need from them.
• Ask others what they need from you.
• Remember and accept that your loved ones are human and will make mistakes--e.g., giving bad advice, failing to provide what you need from them, or responding badly to something you do for them. Forgive them, and avoid assuming or believing that the mistake was intentional or malicious.
• Call friends for enjoyable discussion or activities.
• Have someone stay with you for a few hours.
• Write about your experiences and reactions: events, thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Permit yourself to grieve.
• Avoid pretending that the tragedy does not hurt or that this is "part of the job."
• Permit yourself to question why the tragedy occurred.
• Remember that your reaction is uniquely yours and should not be judged by how other people grieve or react.
• Respect your limitations.
• Keep in contact with friends and family instead of escaping into loneliness.
• Discard the "if only" thoughts that occur to you.
• Remind yourself that laughter (yours or others') does not mean disrespect.
• Confront your own fears of death.
• Cry.

Sleep Problems

Falling Asleep

• Avoid caffeine such as in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate.
• Write about what you are thinking or feeling.
• Stretch, do yoga, or perform another gentle exercise before bed.
• Try to finish business--e.g., arguments--before going to bed.
• Drink a glass of milk or non-caffeinated tea before bedtime.
• Pray or meditate.
• Avoid napping in the afternoon or evening.
• Read something calming. Be sure to move to a chair or sofa instead of trying to read in bed.
• Listen to relaxing music or sounds.

• Try one or more of the suggestions above to help you get back to sleep.
• Get out of bed, move to another room, and enjoy the quiet.
• Journal your dreams or write your thoughts about being awake.

• Write down the content of the dream and journal what disturbed you about it.
• Turn on a dim light in order to reorient yourself to your surroundings.
• Imagine a pleasant ending to the dream.
• Later in the day, consider what the dream meant to you.
• Remind yourself that it was a dream--not reality.
• Remember that you do have some influence over what happens in your life and in your dreams.
• If the dream is recurring, notice any differences among the repeats. Envision yourself doing what you need to do in order to bring the dream events to a constructive and desirable conclusion.

• Go ahead and get up. Start enjoying the day, for you likely will sleep well the next night.
• Go to bed later so you can sleep later.
• Use shades or dark curtains to keep your bedroom darker so you can sleep. Light is a natural cue for waking.
• Use a fan or other "white noise" to mask noises which might wake you unnecessarily.