Dealing with the mental issues related to my house being burglarized.

[hamsterjill]

My house was recently broken into. The thief or thieves broke down the front door. They didn't get away with much because (l) I didn't have much that they were interested in, and (2) we think they were interrupted at some point because it didn't look like they made it to all of the rooms.

This happened about a month ago, and I am still having issues dealing with it. Trouble sleeping, constant fear, anger, hurt, suspicion of anyone who looks at me wrong. I have pets, and those pets got out through the broken down front door. It took me over two hours to find them all, luckily, all safe. I live in constant fear that someone is going to come back and they will get out again, get lost and/or get hurt.

I am taking some pro-active steps to increase the security in and around my home, but I don't want to have to live in a fortress to feel safe. I am also limited by a budget as to what I can and cannot do.

Any ideas or suggestions as to how to deal with the mental component of all of this?

[steve2470]

1. Short answer, seek counseling from someone qualified....

Longer answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_stress_reaction

You *might* have that, with usual caveats that NO ONE can diagnose over the internet, not even trained psychiatrists.

At any rate, yes, seek counseling asap. There should be someone affordable or free near by.

Your county and/or state should have someone. Just type your county/parish/state name into Google along with "affordable counseling" and you should find something suitable. Or, type "mental health center" along with your county.

Best wishes and good luck.

[LiberalArkie]

2. And the simplest thing is some those cheap alarms that you can carry to a hotel

and alert you when the door is opened. They helped me get over it when my mobile hoe was broken into. By the time the batterys had died in them, I was over it.

I am still fighting coming down with vertigo and needing to do work around the house. But the fear is there of it happening again when I am on a ladder. I know it is an irrational fear. But it is still there. For some reason at the same time as the vertigo appeared I got a fear of being in a dentist chair. Never had it before but the anxiety is so strong.

I did take steps to harden my doors, and my lab likes to bark when someone enters the yard, but he would never attack any one, but maybe scare them away.

The fears should go away after a bit on their own, mine did. When time goes by and no one has broken in again, you get your confidence back. But for a while when you hear a fly land outside, you will believe someone is outside. It just takes a while.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. FWIW, remind yourself that it happened when you were

gone, as is the case with the vast majority of burglaries. The suggestion for alarms is good for your peace of mind. You can also leave lights and the TV on when you're gone at night to make it seen like someone is home.

[mopinko]

4. get some better sleep.

maybe take some ambien for a while, or take a good melatonin supplement.
sleep is the foundation of mood. anxiety is especially linked to bad sleep.
check out "sleep hygiene" on the web, and see if there is anything you can improve in your environment.

take care. and post here. let us know how you are doing.