Lived Experience Forum

[JLD]

@Daisydreamer  there's been so many triggers then sometimes it's nothing that triggers it 😞 

Some things that keep irking me have been....

volunteer awards!! I know this sounds so stupid but it seems as though everyone has been handing out these awards Willy nilly to these people that have literally done NOTHING but torment and harass people! And those that actually have been helpful in the community get over looked because they aren't "loud" enough. They aren't loud enough because they're actually just genuinely helping people not for recognition but to just help! No one follows through with asking those of us effected what has actually been happening and who's actually been here helping so that's just been very frustrating. And it just falls back into not being heard again I guess. 

our community have coped by just being there for each other which has been beautiful but also hard at the same time because I just want to give more to my friends and neighbours but we are all in the same boat together trying to empty the water of the sinking ship. So it's hard to support when you're also needing the support 😞 

we held a community BBQ to mark the 12 months mark and it was nice because WE wanted too and WE did it. We didn't have people coming in telling us what to do or how to feel we just decided as a community to do it and it's what we wanted. The night was great, we hardly discussed the fires it was just about bringing our community back together after individuals came in previously and tried to pull us apart 

[TideisTurning]

Taking breaks from Social Media & media coverage generally can be a big one @Fizz and another that's hard to pull yourself away from. 

@Shaz51 I can only imagine how scary it would be, especially when you have a good idea of what might happen from having been through it.

[TideisTurning]

That sounds like a lovely way to commemorate the anniversary and take back a little control as a community after having been through so much @JLD 

[Klutz]

We support each other. We keep in contact with our friends from south coast.
I volunteer in local op shop and do some volunteering on line. helping others has helped me. I am honest when people say how are you and I will tell when I am struggling. My adult children have been very supportive and my grandchildren are the best therapy whenI lose myself dancing with scarves with a 2 year old.

[TideisTurning]

What a lovely way to take your mind off things @Klutz. Sounds like a really great form of self care too!

[JLD]

Yep first month of summer was a big one, first time I’d seen smoke in the air since our fires had me stuck inside frozen, I couldn’t move, I just cried. Our fires started from lightning strike so whilst my kids freak out at the sight of smoke too they REALLY freak out and thunder and lightning now, one of my children is autistic so that a whole different ball game, I’ve been through about 12 pairs of noise cancelling headphones this past year trying to drain out the noise so they can get to sleep 😞

[Daisydreamer]

Triggers (or if that word doesn't sit right then things that can remind us of the trauma) are so unique to each of us. For each person that has lived through a traumatic event like bushfires, the things that have an impact, and the things we do to look after ourselves will be so different. This is where recovery looks so different for each person. I am hearing that reading the stories here No matter where you are at in the journey, I hope the Life After Bushfires thread can be a support.

One resource I have found really helpful is the Wheel of Wellbeing- it helped me understand strategies for self care in a broader way. It focuses on 6 different domains of wellbeing, and helps me think more broadly about the things I can do to keep myself balanced

[Shaz51]

Yes @JLD , @Klutz , @Daisydreamer , @TideisTurning , @Fizz , @AZZ 

My 4 adult  step children  have supported  us even though they are not near us

We were  able to move into my elderly mum's house,  even though small but have a roof over our heads 

[AZZ]

@Klutz I coudn't agree more, I find spending time with young children the best way for everything else to melt in to the background and just be in the moment - their carefree energy is infectious!

[Daisydreamer]

That must be so hard to see happening in your community @JLD

Connection and community really are two big things we can all hold onto. The community BBQ sounds like such a supportive space