After a fire, your attention is understandably focused on getting back into your home. Unfortunately, there is more to recovering from a fire than rebuilding your home. In addition to rebuilding, you need to look after the physical and emotional health of everyone in your household.

Rebuilding Your Home

It is important to understand that it can take time to recover from a fire. After taking an assessment of the damage, it is important that you contact your insurance company to start the claims process. The sooner you start this, the sooner an adjuster can inspect your home and issue a check for the damage.

There is a good possibility that you can salvage some of the items within your home. Work with a fire restoration service to find out what is salvageable. Professionals can help with cleaning items, such as furniture and flooring, that can be restored.

It is important to work with a fire damage restoration service because they can offer a professional assessment of what is salvageable. For instance, a pro can assess your carpet to determine if it is safe to clean and keep. If not, the service can safely remove the carpeting in your home.

Recognizing Emotional Reactions

No matter how unaffected you may feel or others in your household might claim to be, a fire can take a heavy emotional toll on everyone. As everyone is adjusting to what happened, you might witness signs such as anger, depression, shock, and feelings of hopelessness. Bitterness is also a common emotion.

Fortunately, most of these feelings go away with time and effort. You can help everyone cope by encouraging everyone to practice stress-reduction techniques, such as meditating and exercising. It is important that no one is allowed to go into isolation. Isolation can quickly turn to major depression.

Encourage everyone to accept help that comes from the community. It might be difficult to do so right after the fire, but it is important to focus on the things you are grateful for. For instance, the fact that you survived is more than enough to be thankful for.

Helping Children Cope

A fire can be especially difficult for children to deal with. Encourage your child to talk about his or her feelings. If your child seems to be struggling to cope, reach out for professional help. One thing to keep in mind is that children often take cues from adults. If you seem to be coping well, your child will be encouraged to follow your lead.

It is difficult to move past a fire, but with help, love, and support, it is possible. Rely on professionals, such as a fire restoration service and counselors, to help get everything back to as normal as possible quickly.