'Stay Calm'... There's a Massive Volcano About to Erupt! Battling My Fear in a Very Alarming Situation! 😭😵😖
They say my home, Bali is about to go up in smoke any time now!
The problem with volcanoes (and most natural disasters) is that they actually don't really know when their grand showcases of power are going to present themselves or once they do, the magnitude or performance of it all! They can monitor certain physical characteristics about it but Mother Nature has a mind of her own and a mission to play out beyond our comprehension so we are fortunate now with our technological advancements to at least receive a warning when there is an upset.
Not knowing when something is going to happen can be incredibly infectious to one's thoughts. Worry, fear, intrigue all devour the mind. We want to know what we can do. What should we do? How can we stop it? Why is it happening?
In many cases, there is just nothing we can physically do to stop nature's course.
The problem with that for me is that I am battling severe anxiety (I share the healing process frequently) however on a mission to heal or not, stress is stress and stress stresses me out!
That kind of means that threats of natural disasters don't do me any favors! Cue hyperventilating, worrying, undue stress and irritability. Overall, it sends me spiraling backwards from all of the healing I have been doing!
Normally I never open anything like this because of my personality but I could not resists the clicky title screaming at me to read the contents... that's when I saw the warning, urging travelers to remain calm, figure out their travel insurances and reconsider their plans if they had yet to fly here. Oh how I should really stay away from the news, it never does me any good!
We all know that news agencies/websites/blogs etc choose frightening/scary titles to have us click on it, to receive more money from the ad agencies right? There's usually dramatization to instill fear in us for a myriad of reasons we aren't going to get into here. When I clicked on the first link it showed me a video of a supervolcano in CA that could "kill us all." Thanks for that, news site. Just what we all need- more fear!
Even though I know this, that article I ended up reading wasn't very reassuring to me since Bali is an island and I have read about and recently seen the movie Pompeii. You know Pompeii right? The now famous city that was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano?
I was seriously considering flying out 'just in case' when I realized that being in the air, if things were to go sour would be the worst place with flying debris and so here I am, trapped. Anxiety hates entrapment!
I have always felt comfort in learning/knowing about a situation that scares me. People say pay it no mind and distract yourself which may be effective if one was able to fully remove it from their minds but in my case, I like to know what I can and then figure out a reaction and a escape plan so to speak so if the worst is to come, I will be prepared.
I think I learned that behavior in girl scouts, always be prepared and so, I resort to learning all I can when things start to get too intense for me.
OK, so my personal, emotional drama and fear tactics of the media aside, let's talk about the facts at present here in Bali from reported news sites:
- A 5.7 magnitude underwater earthquake hit northwest of Bali shaking up the volcano
- Over 400 tremors occurred yesterday signaling heightened seismic activity, raising alert
- Evacuation has been enforced for those within a 7.5km radius of the volcano
- I live 22 km from the volcano (for anyone wondering)😘
- 2 years ago volcanic ash from the volcanoes clouded the airspace, making travel impossible and leaving visitors stranded
- The last eruption happened in 1963, emitting ash up to 10 km high with over 1000 casualties
- The governor expresses confidence in taking measures to minimize loss
- I am supposed to remain calm
I'm from Canada! I have never had to worry about a volcano casually exploding in my midst before! I lived in Guatemala and even hiked a couple of active volcanoes before but this is new territory for me!
So, the fear is here, the threat is real, the situation is coming whether I like it or not. So what do we do?
Fear's enemy is love and acceptance. When we are feeling love, we cannot feel fear because the joy of love overtakes us!
Therefore the first and most important thing to do is to express and share your love! That said, in case it's not already abundantly obvious by how many kisses and hugs I send you all, I have a huge spot in my heart for you! Those of you I interact with regularly, you have become a part of my life in a way I want you to really recognize! I appreciate you, I am passionately driven to continue doing what I do, because of your support so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Notes to self: (I hope they help you too!)
Stay calm
Oh but that is so much easier said than done, I am the first person to admit that BUT I know that letting fear overcome and overwhelm me will decrease my ability to respond to a threat should it occur. I am trying my best to stay focused on my plans I have, guys I have really amazing, big plans coming up! I am so happy to have some really incredible content to share with you coming up here as I move forward with the dreams Steemit has been able to encourage me to pursue!Have a plan
I am managing the inevitable stress by having a little 'in case' plan ready, so when/if an event occurs, it will be so much easier to act it out and get to safety. I have been in some not so great situations before where anxiety has literally paralyzed me, causing my body to freeze and I don't want that! I learned back in fire training that families who have an exit strategy prepared ahead of time are more calm and collected at time of crisis, enabling them to escape to safety. Momma told me to have a bag packed at the door in case I need to make a run for it!Trust, finding 'center'
Meditation, breathing, prayer or the like are strongly associated with positive effects in crisis situations. Believing everything will be OK, managing doubt and anxious temptations improves mood and overall outlook, allowing increased ability to respond to the situation. I chant to myself when I get scared or am trying to convince myself that everything will be fine. I say simple things like "it's ok" over and over or "I am safe" and eventually, the magic of the words resonates and my brain starts believing it, sending a cool down over my system and allowing the anxiety to slow down.Call upon connection
Hey guys, I'm looking for some extra love right now! I'm a little nervous and I want to feel connected to people around me! I know I will be OK but still, I wish I could end up in a huge cuddle puddle with you all! Can we virtually do that please? 😘
Our relationships play a huge role in my life! Do you know that when people feel loved, appreciated and connected, they are proven to be happier and thus manage stress and anxiety with improved capabilities! Think of self-help groups- they work for a reason! You all help me feel safe! 😘
With all of my love radiating out to you and the love in return I am sure to feel come in, all of the virtual hugs and embraces, I am going to continue on, using my own advice as if nothing is wrong! I have an awesome, exciting interview lined up tomorrow and can't wait to share that with you this weekend!
You know me by now, my heart does what it wants and obviously felt the need to share this with you so thank you for being here with me! I am projecting my hugs all around the world to you all!
New Sources (stats):
Take care, and have a plan. When Bangkok was threatened with flooding a few years ago, there came a point where I just left for a few days. In the end, it reached about 500m from my condo. It isn't always the direct problems but also the effectiveness of utilities and other people's behaviour.
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That's exactly what I am thinking- there may be loss of internet! Could you imagine? ;) So ya, I think the aftermath and/or side effects are what we need to be most concerned about. I have calmed down a lot since, after these lovely messages <3 Thanks for the words of comfort! =D
As a last resort find the nearest virgin and toss her in the volcano.....
Lol thanks for the laugh <3 I think they accept goats too but that's not very vegan ;)
By no means do I want to belittle the situation, however, I do want to give you some soothing words, I hope. On April 22 of 2015, while living in Patagonia Chile, Volcan Calbuco erupted about 20 km from our home. Of course, this was the first time anything like this had happened to me so it was just crazy emotion. But, at the end of it, no one got hurt. Yes, there was a lot of land that was temporaily devostated, however, life is totally back to normal. Some very dear friends actually bought some property that was affected, of course they got it a very good price. 2 years later it's worth nearly 10 times what they paid. Stay calm and have that camera ready.
Here's a pic from our volcano eruption experience -
Oh you're not at ALL! I really appreciate this comment more than you know! Basically after I saw it, I just kind of melted into comfort so thank you girl! <3
I can't see the volcano from my house through the forest but you're right, looking on the brightside - what an incredible photo op ;)
You do bring up a really interesting point about land as well since I am looking for some to do a permaculture project on, that would be perfect!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this story with me! I agree with you, half of me knows it's OK, I am out of harm's way etc but then the blaring media and my anxiety are just not having any of it!
<3
Ugh. So stressful. I was living in Ubud this past summer. Watching all the alerts. I would totally be anxious if I was still there. Could you bug out to Uluwatu, Kuta, or perhaps the Gillis for a bit? 22 km is quite a distance, but those places, or even Ubud would put more distance between you and the mountain and could maybe make you feel better. ???
I live in Washington State and was here when Mt. St. Helens blew in the 80's. Volcanos are powerful, but it is the ash, depending on which direction the winds blow, that can cause a lot of problems for those locations further away. Have a dust mask, or something similar handy! Take good care @heart-to-heart!
It's stressful when everyone is so stressed about it haha we have mixed signals with some people violently afraid while others couldn't be bothered!
I am actually in the Ubud area but I will for sure be on a scooter fast as hell down to Kuta the moment I hear anything but it's hard with all the young puppies I have! I can't really move them very easily and wouldn't want to leave them!
Oh my goodness- well thank you for sharing! This is the second message I have received of someone surviving volcano eruptions and I think it's the only thing that's calmed me down! <3
My brother just got here with a fairly heavy duty pollution mask for me (it's pink too!) so, I feel a bit better PLUS being stuck in Bali which is what thay are threatening is not the worst thing! ;) Gotta keep on the bright side!
Thanks for the comfort! I wish I could hug you! <3
You are welcome! I am part of Outpost forum (co-working location in Ubud) and they posted this facebook group about the volcano. Might be helpful! Yay! for a pink mask and an awesome brother! Virtual hugz..... :-)
https://www.facebook.com/agungvolcanobali
Awesome, I am familiar with Outpost, (I love that space) but didn't see this on their page, thanks for sharing it with me <3
It's got some great info and is really helpful! =D You are amazing!
You are welcome! Stay safe! Following you too!
Good luck with your exciting interview!
I don't know if this will help your anxiety, but one thing I do is play Pretend It's Happening Right Now to give those bio-chemicals a place to go & do a practice run, so if it does happen your anxiety will have prepared you well.
I'm assuming you listened to your mama & have a bag packed. Are your keys where they should be? Is the car gassed up? Do you have your ID & Passport? If you had to leave the house in 30 seconds, could you do it?
Is there anything else you can do to make yourself feel safer? Breathing masks, water, food for a few days? So if the worst happens, you can care for yourself from the start.
All I know is that it'll happen, or it won't. You can't control what an author I love calls "God's business" so there's no point allowing your anxiety to be all up in God's head trying to run the universe, unless you can make it work for you by empowering yourself.
Hoping the best for you, even if I'm a stranger from afar. 😘
Oh wow, what a super caring response- thank you so much! 🤗
After posting this and having the amazing community walk me through their personal experiences with events like this, I am feeling so much better!
Thank you so much for the checklist! I am going to keep it all in mind! Luckily, most of those things ie: keys are always in the same spot. My car is a scooter which isn't much protection against debris or air pollution but it can get me where I need to go =D
My passport, that's another story since immigration has it right now, processing my visa so I will be stuck here either way I guess! Yikes!
I did just get my breathing mask today, thank goodness! That makes me feel leaps and bounds better!
I love that, "God's business" is not to be meddled with and I will just have to let what happens happen. My mom always told me "what will be, will be!" She's much better at living that philosophy than I am :P
Thank you so much for this message! I just needed this virtual hug to shake off the media's intensity!
You are wonderful!
😘🤗
@heart-to-heart if you'd like to escape a bit to East Borneo during this alarming time, let me know. My family is there and will have you with open arms for sure !
That is so sweet of you! I am calming down trying to calm down as I talk to more and more people. Unfortunately here, the message is mixed. Some locals say it will be very bad and are worried while others think it's just another day. I personally don't know what to think but I do have my puppies which make it too hard to take all on the scooter to go anywhere too far. I'd love to go visit them though, Borneo is one of the places I really wanted to explore! Thank you for the comfort, I feel like you're part of my Steemit family by now after all of our time together 😘
My prayers and blessings are with you~
There is certain danger yet everything is energy and all in alignment. I bless that you shall FEEL the right move at the right time and be in the right time and the right place to continue your health and happiness in this life.
Bless it be~*~
🤗 big hug!
Thanks @quinneaker! I am feeling better now, now that I've kind of hugged the virtual community here and am feeling a bit more comforted! It's just so outside of my familiarity coming from Canada that it arose a huge amount of fear within. Working through it now though and am really appreciating the loving vibrations! 😘
yes I feel you. I am with you and bless you~*~
Hey there, really sorry to hear you are going through that! I haven't had really bad panic attacks in over 20 years, but I remember how scary they were and how impossible it was to just "talk myself out of it" or for anyone else to. I used to think I was going to have a heart attack. I hope you can find a way to manage it and that the volcano doesn't turn out to be as big a deal as it could have been. It sounds like you are out of the biggest danger area, not that that makes any difference to how you feel. Look forward to reading your stories.
Hi @clemdane! Awww, someone who understands- that makes all of the difference in the world as I am sure you know 🤗 Thank you for reaching out to me!
I have been actively employing strategies to calm down but at the time of writing this, my mind was just racing with terror. The media is doing an excellent job at keeping the fear real.
I'm trying to just ignore it and accept that it's happening and will deal with what happens from it when it happens. I've done my best to prepare and now I will just try to remain calm and hope they've put the proper precautions in store to ensure no one is harmed!
Thank you for your loving message, I really appreciate it! 😘🤗
It's crazy how many natural disasters are going on right now in the world. I hope everything turns out okay for you!
I know right? The Earth is fighting back! I think we need to head this warning and start changing our environmental policies ASAP :/
Just keep calm my friend, i know it's scary when you are so near to the volcano, but stay tuned to the latest news, once anything serious, just move away from there. You know very well where to land the next time...
Hi @progressivechef! Thanks for your sweet virtual hug with these words! I am much more calm now, despite all of the crazy earthquakes rocking my house I am just going to try to spend my time, distracted so maybe just stay on Steemit much more or something LOL ;) <3