Protecting Your Mind in Catastrophes and Emergencies

World Mental Health Day 2025

1. Introduction

Emergencies and disasters – whether global catastrophes like pandemics or conflicts, or personal crises such as bereavement, illness, or accidents – disrupt life in profound ways. They can leave people feeling powerless, overwhelmed, or in shock.

Mental health is often overlooked in these moments, yet it is just as critical as food, water, and shelter. Our minds process threat and danger through the body: raised heart rate, panic, sleep disruption, or dissociation. Without support, these reactions can linger and develop into longer-term difficulties such as post-traumatic stress, depression, or burnout.

This toolkit is designed to give you practical, accessible resources you can use immediately. It combines psychological first aid, grounding tools, and clear information on accessing help when formal services may be overstretched. Whether you are supporting yourself, a loved one, or a colleague, the strategies here are easy to use, evidence-informed, and designed for real-life emergencies.

2. Understanding Crisis Stress

When disaster strikes, your brain’s alarm system (the amygdala) goes into overdrive. Stress hormones flood the body, sharpening your senses and preparing you to fight, flee, or freeze. This is a survival response — it is not a personal failing.

Common immediate reactions:

  • Physical: racing heartbeat, tense muscles, sweating, nausea
  • Emotional: fear, anger, sadness, irritability, or emotional numbness
  • Cognitive: difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, intrusive thoughts
  • Behavioural: withdrawal, restlessness, changes in appetite or sleep

These are normal reactions to abnormal events. For most people, they gradually ease as safety and stability return.

Warning signs to seek urgent help:

  • Feeling unsafe with your thoughts (e.g., self-harm or suicidal thinking)
  • Intense panic attacks that don’t pass
  • Flashbacks or nightmares that feel like reliving the event
  • Feeling detached from reality or “spaced out” for long periods
  • Not being able to carry out daily tasks or responsibilities

👉 Action: If you or someone you know feels unsafe, dial 999 (UK) or the local emergency number immediately.

3. Psychological First Aid (PFA)

Just as physical first aid stabilises injuries until professional care arrives, Psychological First Aid (PFA) helps stabilise the mind. It is a humane, practical, and evidence-based approach recommended by the World Health Organization.

The 5 Core Principles:

  1. Ensure Safety – Protect yourself and others from ongoing danger. Find shelter, check basic needs (water, food, warmth).
  2. Create Calm – Use breathing, grounding, or sensory techniques to reduce panic and restore a sense of control.
  3. Stay Connected – Reach out to family, colleagues, or community groups. Human contact is protective in crisis.
  4. Offer Hope – Encourage small, achievable goals and reassure yourself or others that recovery is possible.
  5. Provide Practical Help – Focus on immediate needs (charging a phone, accessing shelter, finding a meal). Small steps reduce overwhelm.

👉 Try it now: Box Breathing – Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat 4–5 cycles. This slows the nervous system and can reduce panic.

4. Building Your Personal “Emergency Kit”

In a crisis, clear thinking can be difficult. Having a mental health emergency kit — alongside your physical emergency supplies — can make a big difference.

What to include in your psychological first aid kit:

  • 🗒️ A small coping card: simple exercises like grounding or breathing.
  • 📱 Emergency contacts and helplines saved in your phone.
  • 🎧 Audio tools: a calming playlist, podcast, or meditation app.
  • 🖊️ A journal or notes app: writing can help process overwhelming feelings.
  • 🪙 A grounding object: something tactile (stone, photo, bracelet) that can remind you of safety.
  • 🌿 Comfort items: herbal tea bags, essential oil roller, or stress ball if practical.

👉 Tip: Pack these in a small pouch or save digitally in your phone’s “favourites” so they’re easy to access when thinking clearly feels impossible.

5. Quick Coping Tools for Crisis Moments

When panic or fear takes over, short techniques can bring you back to the present. These work by activating the body’s calming parasympathetic system.

  • 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding: Look around you. Name 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. This helps anchor you in the present.
  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Starting at your feet, tense and release each muscle group for 5 seconds. This reduces physical stress.
  • Circle of Control: On paper, draw two circles. In the inner one, write things you can control (breath, hydration, reaching out). In the outer one, write what you can’t control (the disaster, other people’s actions). Direct your energy to the inner circle.
  • SOS Shift:

    • Stop → Pause for a moment.
    • Observe → Notice what you feel in body and mind.
    • Shift → Choose one small positive action (drink water, stretch, send a text).

👉 Practise these regularly — they become more effective if you’ve rehearsed them before a crisis.

6. Supporting Others in Crisis

Emergencies can be isolating, but simply showing up for someone else is powerful. You don’t need to be a professional to make a difference.

Helpful approaches:

  • Listen calmly and without judgment. Silence can be healing.
  • Ask open, simple questions: “How can I support you right now?”
  • Offer reassurance: “It’s normal to feel shaken. You’re not alone.”
  • Share clear, factual information about where support can be found.

Unhelpful approaches:

  • Minimising: “Others have it worse” or “You’ll get over it.”
  • Pressuring someone to talk when they’re not ready.
  • Overloading with advice or personal opinions.

👉 Remember: You are not responsible for “fixing” someone. Your role is to listen, validate, and signpost to professional help where possible.

7. Accessing Services in Emergencies

In disasters, traditional health systems may be stretched. Knowing alternative pathways helps ensure no one is left unsupported.

UK Services:

  • 🚨 999 – Immediate danger or life-threatening situations.
  • 📞 NHS 111 – For urgent, non-life-threatening advice.
  • ☎️ Samaritans – 116 123 (24/7, free).
  • 📱 Shout – Text SHOUT to 85258 (24/7, free).
  • ☎️ Mind Infoline – 0300 123 3393.

Digital Support:

  • Remi (InsideOut app) – AI triage and mental health support.
  • Calm Harm – Tools for managing urges of self-harm.

Global Resources:

  • 🌍 WHO: Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.
  • 🌍 Red Cross / Red Crescent: Crisis support worldwide.
  • 🌍 International helplines: Befrienders.org for global suicide prevention numbers.

👉 Tip: Save the numbers that are most relevant to you now. In a crisis, it may be difficult to search for them.

8. Building Resilience Before Disaster Strikes

Resilience is not about being unshakable. It’s about having the capacity to bend without breaking, and to recover when challenges come. You can actively strengthen this capacity through daily habits.

  • Routine: Keep sleep regular. Prioritise balanced meals and hydration. Predictability helps calm the nervous system.
  • Movement: Regular physical activity releases endorphins, lowers cortisol, and builds resilience to stress.
  • Connection: Strong social ties buffer against trauma. Invest in community and relationships before you need them.
  • Preparedness: Save emergency contacts. Share a crisis plan with family. Keep a personal grounding toolkit at hand.

Even small changes now — like practising daily breathing or checking in with a friend — can make a big difference when life is disrupted.

9. Closing Note

Emergencies are unpredictable and often frightening. But support exists, and there are steps you can take — right now — to steady yourself and others.

Remember:

  • Stress reactions are normal in abnormal events.
  • Quick tools like grounding, breathing, and connection can stabilise you.
  • Professional help is always worth seeking, but when systems are overwhelmed, community, technology, and self-help tools can bridge the gap.
  • Access to mental health is a human right. You deserve it as much as anyone else.

Keep this toolkit handy. Share it widely. Together, we can make mental health support more accessible, even in the most difficult times.

 

By Laura Stembridge, Founder InsideOut