Our Hearts are Broken: Coping with Grief, Loss, and Helplessness After the Texas Flooding

This weekend, over the holiday, I spent the weekend single mom-ing, because my husband was out of town celebrating a friend's birthday. We decided to divide and conquer for this weekend, because my daughter's too young to be left alone. This gave my daughter and I an opportunity to spend a lot of time together. We went to a parade in the neighborhood, we got ice cream, we played games and watched lots of movies and snuggled on the couch.

And then the news came.

The flooding at Camp Mystic.
The faces of the girls.
The heartbreak.

As the story unfolded, something inside me shattered. Like so many moms, I couldn’t stop imagining the unimaginable. The ache of watching your child in harm’s way—or worse—is a pain so deep that language fails to describe it. The proximity of this tragedy, geographically and emotionally, hit like a tidal wave. As a mother. As a Texan. As a human being.

My heart has been breaking, over and over. The loss that the families are experiencing is profound. There is no reason, there is no rhyme to this tragedy. This flood did not discriminate. It happened so quickly, without warning.

So how do we cope? How do we keep breathing when grief clutches our chest? How do we hold our children without being consumed by fear?

Below are some trauma-informed strategies I’ve been leaning into—and sharing with clients—as we navigate this heartbreak together.

1. Seek Community

Grief is not meant to be carried alone. Reach out. Let someone hold space for your sadness. Whether it’s a neighbor, a friend, a support group, or your faith community—connection is the antidote to despair. Being in the presence of others who care reminds us that even when the world feels broken, love still exists.

Find a Texas-based grief support group

Therapists In Texas Specifically Supporting This Effort

2. Get Active to Feel Efficacious

When tragedy feels overwhelming, doing something—anything—can restore a sense of agency. You might donate, volunteer, organize a supply drive, or simply write a letter of support to the families impacted.

These small acts not only help others—they help us, too. They say: I can still do good. I am not helpless.

How to Support the Flood Disaster Relief Efforts

3. Take Breaks from Media Coverage

It’s okay to stay informed—and it’s also okay to turn it off. Repeated exposure to traumatic imagery can compound our distress, especially for children and those who are already emotionally vulnerable.

Give yourself permission to unplug. Go outside. Be in your body. Play a game. Listen to music. The world keeps turning, and you are allowed to rest.

4. Seek Professional Help

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline. If you’re finding it hard to sleep, eat, or stop crying; if you’re feeling numb or overwhelmed; if you’re reliving the tragedy over and over—these are all valid responses. And they’re also signs that you might benefit from professional support.

Therapy isn’t about “fixing” anything. It’s about being with what is, and giving yourself a soft place to land. At Counseling and Nature Therapy Center, we are offering free counseling to those who have been directly impacted by the flood. We can also help you find someone to support you if we aren’t a good fit.

Below is a list of providers in Texas.

Find a trauma-informed therapist in Texas

This weekend, I held my daughter tighter. I kissed her a few more times than usual. And I kept thinking about the families who no longer can. There is no fixing that pain for those who have lost. But in the wake of it, we can hold each other closer. We can show up. We can bear witness.

And sometimes, that’s the most powerful thing we can do.

With tenderness,
Bonnie King, Ph.D., LPC-S
www.counselnature.com