Preparing an earthquake emergency bag can calm you or quietly feed your anxiety. Learn how to tell healthy preparation apart from an endless checking loop.
In some homes the earthquake bag sits by the front door with its zip half open; in others it has remained, for three years, a plan that will be sorted out "this weekend". Both can be fed by the same feeling: fear. Preparing an earthquake emergency bag is a perfectly sensible step that almost everyone living in Turkey considers at some point. But there is something I often hear in the counselling room: for some people, finishing the bag becomes a turning point that brings real relief, while for others the bag turns into a checking ritual that never ends. In this article we look at when preparation soothes anxiety, when it feeds it, and how you can tell the two apart.
Why Is Preparing an Earthquake Emergency Bag Such an Emotional Task?
On paper it is a simple job: water, a torch, a whistle, a few days' worth of dry food, medicines, copies of documents, a charger. Yet while you write this list, your mind inevitably plays out a scene: a tremor in the middle of the night, a dark staircase, a long wait out on the street. Putting a blanket into a bag really means thinking about a night on which you will need that blanket.
Since the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, many people no longer imagine this scene; they remember it. What they saw on television, what they heard from relatives, or the moments they lived through themselves can cling to every item in the bag. This is why some people cry while packing it, some leave it half-finished, and others keep adding things in an attempt to keep that feeling under control.
There is an important distinction here: the bag itself is neutral. What turns it into a tool of anxiety or a tool of security is the way you approach it.
When Does Preparation Reduce Anxiety?
Anxiety sends a "I must do something" signal in the face of uncertainty. When this signal is turned into a concrete, limited and completable action, it usually settles. Healthy preparation tends to share a few features:
- It has a beginning and an end. You make a list, buy what is missing and close the bag. The job is done.
- It rests on an official, reasonable standard. Basic lists recommended by bodies such as AFAD (Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) give an outside answer to the question "how much is enough?", so your fear does not get to set the limit.
- It is tied to the calendar. For the expiry dates of water and food, you choose a specific check day once or twice a year; in between, there is no need to touch the bag.
- It does not shrink your life. Once the bag is ready, you go back to dinner, to work, to your child's parents' evening.
Let us say a teacher sets aside a Sunday afternoon in September before the schools open, completes the list, puts the bag on the bottom shelf of the hall cupboard and sets a reminder on her phone: "March: check water and batteries". In the months that follow, her heart still sinks when she hears earthquake news; but the thought "I have done what I can" gives her something to hold on to. This is a typical example of preparation reducing anxiety.
When Does Preparation Feed Anxiety? Warning Signs
In cognitive behavioural therapy we use the concept of a "safety behaviour": something a person does to reduce anxiety in the moment which, in the long run, keeps the anxiety going. Earthquake preparation can sometimes take on this disguise. Watch out for these signs:
- You open the bag several times a week to see whether everything is still in place
- After every piece of earthquake news you add a new item to the list, and the list is never "complete"
- You find it hard to go to the bathroom, the balcony or even the kitchen without the bag
- You sleep in your shoes, in jeans, or holding the bag on your lap
- The money and time you spend on preparation strain your budget or your family relationships
- A few minutes after checking, the doubt "what if I didn't pack the torch" comes back
What these behaviours have in common is this: the relief is short-lived and calls for the next check. The mind forms a false link between "I checked, and no disaster happened" and "If I hadn't checked, disaster would have struck". The bag then stops being an object that offers security and becomes the guardian of the anxiety.
Some people swing between the two. Picture someone who carries crate after crate of water home from the supermarket after news of a major earthquake, then a few weeks later forgets the bag even exists. This swing shows that decisions are being made not according to a plan but according to how intense the fear is at that moment. When fear rises, there is over-preparation; when it falls, complete disinterest. The solution is the same here too: let preparation be guided by a standard decided in advance, not by the feeling.
If repeated checking and the sense that "it isn't right yet" are very pronounced, it may be worth considering whether this pattern is linked to obsessive thoughts. Our article what is OCD can offer a framework; however, these behaviours on their own do not amount to a diagnosis.
The aim of preparation is not to bring fear down to zero, but to be able to carry on with life despite the fear. When the bag is finished, you should be able to stop thinking about it too.
Not Being Able to Prepare at All: The Other Face of Avoidance
On the other side of the coin are people who simply cannot get round to packing the bag. They often take this to be laziness or indifference and blame themselves. In reality, there is frequently intense avoidance underneath: even opening the list is postponed because it brings that night to mind.
The familiar phrases of avoidance include:
- "If it's going to happen, it'll happen. What good will a bag do?"
- "Our building is solid, there's no need." (Yet no information about the building has ever been sought.)
- "I can't deal with it now, my head is already full."
Avoidance also brings relief in the short term; the subject is not raised and the feeling is pushed down. But each time earthquakes come up in the news, an inner unease and guilt build up. Telling these people to "pack a full bag right away" usually does not work. Smaller, more manageable steps are needed. The method below can be adapted for both groups.
An Anxiety-Friendly Way of Preparing an Earthquake Emergency Bag
1. Take the list from outside rather than writing it yourself
An anxious mind produces an endless list of "what if I need this too". Use the basic list published by AFAD or your local municipality as your foundation. Add only a few items specific to you: your regular medicines, glasses, some baby formula or pet food, for example. Then close the list.
2. Move forward in parts, not all at once
If you tend to avoid, break the job down: one day buy only the water, on another day photocopy the documents. Each time you finish a step, give yourself a brief moment: "I did this." These small experiences of completion build concrete evidence against anxiety's voice saying "you can't".
3. Mark a "done" moment
When the bag is complete, mark it deliberately. Close the zip, put it in its place, perhaps tell your family "the bag is ready". This small ritual sends your mind the message that the task is closed.
4. Hand the checking over to the calendar
Choose one or two check days a year and do not add extra checks in between. When the urge to "just have a look" arises, notice it and remind yourself: "Check day is in March." In the first weeks, resisting this urge may feel hard; an urge is like a wave: it rises and, if you wait, it falls.
5. Complete preparation with your body as well
The bag is only one part. Agreeing on a meeting point with your family, securing heavy furniture at home and knowing where the gas valve is also count as concrete preparation. Once these are done, the mind sees "a plan that has been worked on" instead of "a diffuse threat".
6. Allow the feeling a place too
If your eyes fill with tears while you pack the bag, do not try to suppress it. Take a measured breath, pause for a few minutes, then carry on. Being able to act while the feeling is present is itself a way of coping with anxiety.
Preparation Within the Family: Partners and Children
Preparation often creates tension at home. One partner keeps shopping while the other says "you're overdoing it"; as the argument grows, the real issue gets lost. In such a situation, reaching a shared standard matters more than who is right. Reading the official list together and agreeing "we buy no more than this, and we don't settle for less" can ease things for both sides.
Similar dynamics appear in the extended family. For example, an elderly mother living in the same apartment block may ask "where is your bag?" on every visit, or, on the contrary, may dislike the subject being raised at all. Making a shared plan that also covers older family members' medicines and glasses can be a way of connecting both practically and emotionally.
Sharing preparation with the building can lighten the load as well. Talking with neighbours about the assembly area, deciding who will knock on the door of an elderly neighbour who lives alone, or adding a preparedness item to the residents' meeting frees a person from the feeling of "I have to think of everything myself". Anxiety grows when it is carried alone; when it is shared, it usually becomes more bearable.
When it comes to children, preparation can be an opportunity to make a frightening topic manageable. Letting a child put a torch, a favourite snack and a small toy into their own little bag gives them a sense of control. What matters is that you explain in a calm tone and do not turn preparation into a horror story. Our article how to explain earthquakes to a child contains detailed suggestions. If a child starts constantly checking the bag or asking question after question about earthquakes, the anxiety underneath needs attention.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Feeling some unease while preparing for an earthquake is entirely understandable. In the following situations, however, talking to a mental health professional may be helpful:
- Checking, list-making or adding items takes up a significant part of your day
- Despite having prepared, earthquake thoughts clearly affect your sleep, work or relationships
- Avoidance has developed, such as being unable to leave the house, enter certain rooms or be alone
- After an earthquake you lived through or witnessed, nightmares, sudden startle reactions and vivid fragments of memory persist
- Family arguments about preparation have become constant
If you feel your fear of earthquakes has turned into a more general anxiety, our article on earthquake anxiety offers a broader perspective. If you would like to work on anxiety, support in the area of anxiety and panic is available face to face or online.
How Is Preparation Anxiety Addressed in Therapy?
The aim of therapy is not to talk you out of preparing. The aim is to keep preparation useful for you while making sure anxiety does not run your life.
Mapping the pattern: The first step is to see which thought triggers which behaviour. When a cycle such as "I watched the news → I felt tight inside → I opened the bag → I felt relieved for five minutes → an hour later I was uneasy again" is written down on paper, it becomes clearer where change can begin.
Working on tolerance of uncertainty: An earthquake is uncertainty in its starkest form. In cognitive behavioural therapy, rather than trying to eliminate uncertainty, the ability to live alongside it is strengthened.
Gradual exposure and response prevention: If checking behaviours are pronounced, the person tries to reduce them step by step. For example, the time that passes without opening the bag is gradually extended, and the person experiences anxiety easing on its own. For people who avoid, the process works the other way round: preparation is approached through small steps such as looking at the list or buying a single item.
Connections with past experiences: Sometimes an older sense of insecurity lies beneath preparation anxiety. From a schema therapy perspective, the belief that "the world is dangerous and disaster could strike at any moment" may have taken shape in unpredictable or unprotective environments in childhood. Once this belief is recognised, the fear of earthquakes also starts to make more sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to keep the bag next to my bed?
It makes sense for the bag to be within easy reach, for example in a cupboard near the door. However, if you cannot sleep without placing the bag by your bed every night, or if you touch it during the night to check it, this may have turned into a safety behaviour. You can try loosening this habit gradually.
I have prepared, so why hasn't my anxiety gone away?
Preparation changes not the likelihood of an earthquake but how ready you are for one. If your anxiety is mainly connected to uncertainty or to a past traumatic experience, the bag alone may not bring enough relief. In that case it may be necessary to work on the anxiety itself.
My partner won't take part in preparing at all. What should I do?
First, try talking without blame: ask why thinking about this topic is hard for them. Avoidance is often not indifference but fear. Going through an official list together and sharing out the tasks can turn the subject from an argument into a joint project.
Will preparing an earthquake emergency bag frighten my child?
When it is done in calm, short and playful language, preparation is reassuring rather than frightening for most children. It is important to give the child the message that "we know what we will do". If a child remains uneasy for a long time after these conversations, their feelings need separate attention.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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