How to Emotionally Deal With an Attempted Burglary

Feeling safe and secure in your surroundings can be difficult after an attempted burglary in your home or workplace. The aftermath of this personal violation of privacy can manifest itself in different ways for different personalities, through anger, panic attacks, insomnia and anxiety. Increasing home security and insuring and cataloging valuables are good steps to take when it comes to preventing physical harm or loss of belongings, but it's also important to grapple with the short and long term emotional effects of an attempted break-in trauma.

Instructions

Reclaim Personal Space

• 1

  Voice your fears of a physical location in which the incident happened to decrease stress levels and reclaim personal space. Don't be afraid to enter the same space that was targeted by intruders.

• 2

  Rearrange furniture or redecorate rooms affected by the break-in. Reclaim your power by reclaiming your space.

• 3

  Catalog and insure valuables to give a sense of security in case a burglar would succeed in taking your belongings. Consider investing in a safe with a combination lock as an alternative to an expensive home security alarm system.

Communicate the Experience

• 4

  Talk about the incident publicly, either with trusted friends and family or a counselor or therapist to help with feelings of chaos and to gain control over emotions through words.

• 5

  Write thoughts down in a journal to cope with anxiety. Release emotions in a creative outlet to relieve anxiety tension and feelings of panic, without affecting your daily life.

• 6

  Seek others who've also been through the same experience, either through community service organizations or religious groups. Find support groups that focus on coping with stress, panic or anxiety in your local yellow pages, or online.

Engage in Healthy Behavior

• 7

  Eat well, stay in shape and abstain from smoking, drugs and excessive alcohol to lower anxiety levels and aid those suffering from insomnia.

• 8

  Avoid making any major life decisions immediately following the attempted burglary; these kinds of life choices can cause undue stress on an already stressed victim. Attempt to continue life as it was prior to the incident, giving time to evaluate levels of anxiety and stress before making big decisions.

• 9

  Establish a new daily routine that revolves around a healthy lifestyle. Make time for hobbies and passions that were once enjoyed prior to the attempted burglary.

Take Action

• 10

  Take a self-defense class to learn methods of protecting yourself from future intruders, and to learn your capability to protect yourself physically from those who may do you harm.

• 11

  Install a better security system, which helps the victim feel physically as well as emotionally safe.

• 12

  Create safety plans for when you are out of town or out of the house in case of future emergencies or to prevent future break-ins.

Seek Professional Assistance

• 13

  Speak about the incident to an impartial, nonjudging third party, which can be in a support group forum or a licensed health care professional.

• 14

  Seek the services of a child therapist or psychologist if children show effects of trauma. Find out if your child is exhibiting atypical behavior indicative of trauma effects such as increased behavioral incidences at school, emotional and aggressive outbursts or a general preoccupation with the incident.

• 15

  Use the same services that assisted you in your reports of the attempted burglary to help others. Get your neighbors involved in a neighborhood crime watch program in order that the entire neighborhood can feel safe. Seek the guidance of police or Crime Stoppers personnel in order to direct you on how to start a program in your area.