hey sam, this morning there was a fire in my house and there is now nothing left, i was in my roon and had to be rescued. I took the cat upstaires and put him in the cat box an dtook him to my room. taking this forward, there was too much smoke for me to get him, he is now gone but we have nothing and im just stressed.i also have anxiety and a bit of paranoia so im not sure what i can do.
thanks,
Sam
Hi there
Emergencies like house fires or accidents are usually unexpected and can be a shock. You might be affected in different ways and it’s normal to feel upset and anxious for a while after something frightening has happened.
House fires can start for different reasons and often it’s an accident which makes nobody responsible for the fire. Being trapped in a fire can be scary and it’s important to do everything you can to keep yourself safe, even if that means you might lose something important like a pet or your belongings. You and your family are what’re most important.
Once you are in a safe place you might feel a mixture of emotions from being relieved and thankful that you’re safe, sad about what you’ve lost or even angry or panicked about what’s happened. The adrenalin in your system from being in danger will take time to reduce and you might feel shaky and sick for a while. Talking about how you’re feeling can help at the time and also afterwards when you might look back and realise more fully the danger you were in.
It’s important to remember that you’re not to blame and it might take time to sort out things like where you’ll stay and to replace the things you need. Wherever you stay it can help to ask about what to do in an emergency and about things like fire alarms to help you to feel safer and less paranoid that something bad might happen again.
When you have something traumatic like a fire or an accident happen it can take a long time to recover. Sometimes you may think you are okay but might be triggered by things you see in the future, like a TV show or a smell. If you need extra help it’s okay to ask for it. Talk to an adult you trust like a parent or carer about getting therapy if you feel you need it.
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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