What can we do to help each other?

The fires we are currently experiencing in Australia are distressing, painful and seemingly unrelenting.  People are hurting, and for those in the wildlife caring community, we are experiencing huge demands on our physical and mental resources.

In order to keep going, even when we are feeling overwhelmed with the scale of what is before us, we need to care for each other and consider ourselves.  Why include ourselves when so much of this is about others?  Our own health will make a difference to the scale and sustainability of our efforts to help our wildlife in the future.  A future where wildlife will continue to need more of our help.

These guides from the Australian Psychological Society might be useful as we work out ways to support one another and understand our own feelings.   With a good mix of explanation and small steps of action, the guides are worth taking a moment out of the busyness to consider and reflect, in amongst the overwhelm.

We at Two Green Threads recommend reading the general guide on ‘Promoting safety, comfort and help after disasters’ first, as it provides some easy to do, yet highly effective strategies to ensure people stay connected and strong.  The five other guides below focus on skills we can use to help us in difficult times.  Please share these widely with anyone that might draw strength from the advice they contain.

Promoting safety, comfort and help after disasters

Please note: We also have a Mental Health: Help and Support page here, where we have collated information from a range of sources about how to access mental health services.

Humans can be resilient when they have support around them.  Here are five guides sharing a wide range of skills to help each other during these difficult times.  These guides provide some practical advice about how to draw on, and develop skills to enable us to continue on in the face of hardship. Reading these may offer some ideas on how to reach out and engage in conversations that can build social threads of support and connection.

You are not alone.  We are stronger when we stand together.

Managing Emotional Distress

Importance of Social Connections

Helpful Thinking