Austin American-Statesman
Last week’s snowstorm and the ongoing water crisis have taken a toll on the mind as well as the body. Between trekking in the snow to find unspoiled food, burrowing under mounds of blankets to stay warm and boiling pots of water, the uncertainty of the situation brought added stress, distress and possibly trauma for many folks across Texas. And let’s not forget the already existent stresses from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Basically, we're all experiencing sort of a collective trauma response,” said Carly Bassett, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder of Moonstone Counseling. “We've all faced scarcity and fear, and a lot of people lost pets and people. Coming into this week, we're all pretty disoriented, and I think that can be hard for people, even people that didn't lose much or didn't have to go without power or water.”