SAMHSA's Coping Resources
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, through its Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers numerous resources that appear particularly helpful now, during the year-end holidays.
Despite the festive spirit advertised & projected during these days, many folks experience exactly the opposite -- pronounced sadness, sorrow, anxiety, or other feelings of depression, fear, or isolation. This can be the case where a loved one is absent, as in the case of families with military volunteers.
Such feelings can also emanate from the death of a loved one, a physical trauma, a lifestyle adjustment, or other significant change, whether recent or long-past.
SAMHSA, on its website, offers some quick, to-the-point suggestions for coping with such feelings.
In particular, I am impressed with SAMHSA's "Resources for Coping With Traumatic Events", targeted at certain groups:
The latter two categories focus more on individual trauma. The heading "For Adults" offers resources relevant to the concerns of this Blog.
- Tips for Suvivors of a Truamatic Event: Managing Your Stress (PDF, 2 pages)
- Tips for Suvivors of a Traumatic Event: What to Expect in Your Personal, Family, Work and Financial Life (PDF, 3 pages)
- How to Deal With Grief (PDF, 2 pages)
- Disaster Tips Wallet Card: Having Trouble Coping? (English) (PDF, 2 pages) (Espanol) (PDF, 2 pages)
- After a Disaster: Self-Care Tips for Dealing with Stress: This fact sheet includes care tips for survivors of a traumatic event, what to expect in your personal, family, work, and financial life.
- Anxiety Disorders: How to Deal with Grief: Help and resources for understanding and coping with grief.
- Recovering Your Mental Health: Dealing with the Effects of Trauma: A Self Help Guide.
