Change is often an unwelcome concept into our lives. As humans, we are creatures of habit and have a tendency to gravitate to the norm, to our daily routines and to our regular habits. Anything out of the ordinary that throws us out of our routine can often times be difficult to deal with.

There are four phases to a disaster: the warning, the event itself, the breakdown, and the recovery phase. During this time, disaster victims will go through a period of shock and may have difficulty in processing what has occurred. This is also what many refer to as the normalcy bias, and is actually a coping mechanism to help us process and deal with the changes that have occurred. Many will cling to any normal thought and habit until their brain begins to accept the changes it has witnessed. There have been people who will feel compelled to constantly clean, or perhaps those who will choose not to admit the disaster has even occurred.

Normalcy Bias is Normal

Normalcy bias is actually a coping mechanism that occurs when we are trying to register and sort out a traumatic event or impending disaster. Because many fear change, we have a tendency to resist it and in turn, our brains try to simulate a normal environment. This resistance to change is quite common and can occur even during the first phase of when a disaster is threatening the area. In fact, each of us have entertained the normalcy bias at one point or another.

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