Never intended to blog daily about this however clearly I am!
Back at work today which was odd. On one hand a touch of normality. On the other, really hard to leave the house to the unknown. What's it like having an earthquake a work? Honestly, less scary than home. Less aftershocks for starters!
Part of the worry on leaving home was The Dragon's plan to enter his workplace - a bloody bombsite. However courtesy of the aftershock this morning, his workplace has since been closed. Only took staff sustaining (fortunately minor) injuries from falling ceiling tiles and a burst gas pipe for them to decide that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. FFS. Still, reassuring that he wasn't in there and won't be for some time.
Some new experiences today. The media have been banging on about the aftershock this morning (5.1), "the biggest one ever" etc etc. Found myself feeling annoyed, wanting to yell out "what about the 4 we had before that one out in Rolleston or the 5.2, 4.0 and 5.4 in 10 minutes on Monday". Great, I've reached the level of competitive earthquaking :) Seriously, a shallow and strong quake this morning and people who haven't had the experience we've been having were clearly very distressed. Odd driving during the quake, car felt very heavy on the steering for a few minutes then back to normal. Took a few minutes to work out why!
A number of others things struck me today. We've (officially) been given the "well done, keep calm, carry on" message. Literally in those words! Also comments about watching your teams, checking everyone is OK, showing leadership etc. All things which are really important and actually help you to feel calm yourself. By reassuring others you are yourself reassured. However a tiny part just wants to throw your hands up in the air, grab your loved ones, jump in the car, run home and hide under a blanket until the bogeyman has gone. Bit of a bugger that this philosophy doesn't help yourself, others or pay the mortgage.
Another area of note as a shrink is the need not to "medicalise" this event. Everyone is scared, afraid, uncertain, anxious and jumping at shadows. The last thing you need is to be a "survivor" or a "victim". That's not to say that many people aren't in this situation. However it needs to be acknowledged that it is NORMAL to be distressed and accept the help offered when you want or need it. I have to shamefully confess that I became a bit acopic on returning home today - leading to (sorry) a bath. Not the hottest, deepest, biggest bath ever however the first time I have not been an absolute scrooge over water and amenities. I'm feeling pleased, guilty and a little more upbeat all at once.
Onwards, upwards...
The Rose
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