(WCIV) — Those affected by the past two hurricanes, Helene and Milton, are still working to get back on their feet. Some are dealing with damaged homes, vehicles, and a loss of belongings, others are struggling with harder to see struggles, most importantly, mental health. Melissa Hickman, a substance use counselor at Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness, says there’s a lot of stressors that come after a storm, such as financial struggles from potentially not be able to go back to work, or psycho-social stressors. In her field, she says there has been an increase in relapse and substance use after storms. “There actually has been an upward trend in people relapsing after storms, which is something a lot of people don’t really think about. People who have had a period of recovery, they sometimes use storms as relapse justifications because of the trauma surrounding the event,” Hickman said. “A lot of people might be turning to substances to cope with the stress and anxiety around it might be drinking a little bit more, smoking a little bit more, or a return to substances they may have given up years ago.” Hickman says people can feel like they’re alone in these kinds of situations, but she’s seen a lot of them finding support in strangers, and communities coming together. “You might find support even in strangers. There’s a lot of community support around mental health hospitals such as our own, a lot of people are a little bit afraid to seek that help and realize that there’s a stigma surrounding it. But around a storm, it can help with the decrease in hypervigilance that someone might feel after storms. They might be experiencing flashbacks,” said Hickman. She also says its important to seek therapy in appropriate areas such as with psychiatrists and licensed clinicians. For those who may be having a difficult time mentally, she has some suggestions for ways to cope outside of therapy. “The first most important thing to do is give yourself some grace, some patience, not only with your families, but the helpers around you. Lots of people are being inundated right now, like tree companies with tree removal, electric companies getting power restored. So having a little bit more patience and grace with yourself and with other people, and maybe lowering recovery expectations,” she said. “Right now is a good time to take a break from the constant barrage of negative influx information. Make sure that when you’re laying down to rest at night that you’re not doom scrolling and looking at social media. Actually give your body and a brain a chance to rest,” she added. Categories: News