“I thought I was having a stroke.”
“I felt my arm shaking. I had a glass of water in my hand, and it began to splash about. I thought I was shaking, but then I realized everything on the table was being knocked about. It came to me. I’m not moving the room is!”
That was “Dave.”
Following is “Mike.”
“It was about 2:00 a.m., and my dog started barking. I felt the building shaking like crazy. I thought, ‘This is it. I’m going to die.'” And “Tony.” “A few hours ago I had a house. Now I have nothing. It’s all gone. But I was lucky my family and I are alive.”
These are the actual words of my patients. They are relating what it felt like to be in an earthquake. All of the quotes are from actual experiences. As you can tell, no one enjoys that experience.

Our needs

We have an innate psychological need for security, and we need to believe we are in control. When something challenges that belief, it causes stress and throws us into a state of disequilibrium.

There is perhaps no greater feeling of disequilibrium and of losing control than to be caught in an earthquake. The physical disorientation we may experience parallels our psychological disorientation.

We can lose our physical and emotional balance as we lose the stability of solid ground beneath our feet. People react differently to the crisis of an earthquake. Some stay calm, using humor to help defuse the tension. Others direct their concern toward other people, while some give in to despair and panic. There is a solution.

Preparing Emotionally for a Disaster or Emergency

Many people especially those who live in areas prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes, quakes, tornados and severe snow storms have emergency kits in their homes. These kits usually include first-aid materials, flashlights, batteries, water, food, blankets, etc. Such preparation makes sense, but you should also have an emotional preparedness kit. In this type of kit, there are various “items” you want to have stored in your mind before a crisis. These are important ideas that you would do well to consider and review regularly before you find yourself confronted by a natural calamity.

1. Don’t panic

   Easy to say, hard to do, right? Not necessarily. How does the Army train recruits not to panic in combat? By practicing countless drills and simulations you can create your own mental drills.
   Practice even if only in your imagination what you will do and think when facing a particular threat, like an earthquake.
   The more you mentally rehearse what you will do, the easier it will be to channel your fear into productive action, and productive action replaces panic.

2. Talk to yourself

   Remind yourself to stay calm, breathe and think positive thoughts. Negativity such as, “I can’t handle this!” or “I’ll never make it!” will lead to negative results. If you believe you can not survive, you won’t.

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