Yesterday, we were a very small part of a huge volunteer force that hit Brisbane and surrounds over the weekend. Shifting the mud from Goodna Aquatic Centre gave me time to reflect on the impact of such an event on the brain. Given that our Red Zones are flight/fight based, and Blue Zones are very much socially oriented, the whole disaster event has seemingly created peaks in both states, often simultaneously.
Anguish, anxiety, distress and grief are often overwhelming ‘in the moment’ and the ability to think clearly, plan, make the best decisions and even communicate with clarity all fall victim to the over-active Red Zone. Because these two mind states operate at the cost of the other, the higher the activation of the Red Zone, which emerges from the more ‘primitive’ brain regions, simply disallows any Blue Zone activity. Problem solving, goal setting, strategic planning, communicating and error checking are all such victims. No real recovery and reconciliation can occur from the Red Zone, in other words.
One way out of the Red Zone is to experience another person’s Blue Zone.: unconditional respect/love, acknowledgement, encouragement, generosity are all key healers, and help those suffering to begin the journey back. The huge gain here is that this is the ultimate win-win. The Blue Zone ‘donor’ themselves gains as much, if not more from the act of altruism, while the recipient is helped significantly (physically and emotionally) along the road back to normality. The collective national pride that emerges from the ‘helping a mate’ is itself a peak Blue Zone event.
So what is the message here? One of the most significant motivators for people generally is to be able to make a difference. The trick here is to harness the effort, generosity and attention beyond the time where the media moves onto the next news item. We need to be making a difference for more than a weekend.
Sites to check out for ongoing information and assistance:
Queensland Police Facebook Page
