Look after mental health and stress
Isolation, hard physical work and long crises wear people down. Mental health is part of the medical plan, not an extra.
How
- Learn the signs of stress from CDC: changes in sleep, appetite, energy or interest, trouble concentrating, headaches, worsening of existing conditions, and more alcohol or drug use.
- Build daily habits: regular sleep (7 or more hours for adults), physical activity, balanced meals, limited alcohol, breaks from news, time outdoors and contact with trusted people.
- Agree a family check-in each week where anyone can say how they are coping.
- Learn psychological first aid as a household skill. WHO's free guide for field workers shows how to give practical, caring support after a distressing event.
- Expect grief and changed behaviour in children after a crisis. Keep routines, give simple honest information and let them talk.
- Keep crisis contacts in the health file. In the US, 988 is the suicide and crisis line and the Disaster Distress Helpline is 1-800-985-5990. Find and write down your own country's national lines.
- Ask for professional help early if stress is hard to manage, including by phone or video (medical-24).
Safety: Thoughts of suicide or harming others are a medical emergency. Contact a crisis line or emergency services immediately.
Do these first
Sources
- Managing Stress. CDC, accessed 2026-11
- Coping Tips for Traumatic Events and Disasters. US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), accessed 2026-11
- Is it an emergency? Warning signs. American College of Emergency Physicians, accessed 2026-11
- Psychological first aid: guide for field workers (2011). World Health Organization, War Trauma Foundation, World Vision International, accessed 2026-11