As Los Angeles battles the worst wildfires in the city’s history, thousands of people have been displaced or have seen their homes burn to the ground.
Around 130,000 people were ordered to evacuate and some 10,000 structures were destroyed, according to the Associated Press. At least 10 people have died as a result of the blazes.
The devastation of the fires has undoubtedly taken a grave toll on the psyches of those affected, experts agree.
Fox News Digital spoke with celebrities, mental health experts and others, who offered the following guidance for all those impacted.
For those who have experienced a loss from the fires, common reactions include shock, disbelief and confusion, according to David Kessler, a grief counselor in Los Angeles and founder of Grief.com.
“I call it grief brain,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Your mind is trying to comprehend what happened, and it’s a hard thing for it to do, because this is unimaginable that your house, your safety, is suddenly gone.”
Not all grief is related to death, Kessler noted, as there are many different types of losses.
“I always say grief is a change you didn’t want — and certainly a fire is a change we didn’t want,” he added.
It’s important to “self-validate” the reality of the loss, he said.
“People might give you toxic positivity of, ‘Well, at least no one died,’” he said. “And while that’s true, the reality is you still have lost your home. Don’t let anyone minimize that.”
“The loss of a home is devastating, and it can take years to recover.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Melissa Rudy.
