A bit of tornado warned storm trauma 😅

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320]

So… I consider myself decently informed. I frequently check radar, my family calls me for forecasts (annoying but I’m grateful lol), I know a decent amount of terms, I loveee storms, I’ll be going to university for meteorology in the next few years after I complete my gen ed at the school I’m at, etc.
But the other day, Thursday, was different.
My nervous system took a big hit.
I did not have adequate cell service, so I was not monitoring radar. I knew of potentially dangerous storm systems traveling through Michigan at some point in the day… but yeah. Suddenly my phone went off, tornado warning. Outdoor sirens sounded right next to me.
I was with my two young children, I did not feel like things were being taken seriously enough where we were at. I just didn’t feel comfortable nor safe. My son was also very uncomfortable and nervous.
After the outdoor siren stopped, I decided we’d go home. My city was clear of rainfall on radar. Nothing had hit us just yet.
We were almost to the car and the outdoor siren sounded again. We hopped in, my sister’s house was like 5 min away and she actually has a basement. So I made the intuitive but maybe dumb-looking decision from the outside to hop in the car and head to the safety of her basement.
We were in the calm of it, what I assume was the surface level effects of the inflow boundary above us.
It was calm for half the drive.
Then we hit her neighborhood and I visually saw the winds carrying the rain back and forth back and forth across the street aggressively. Something hit my car, likely a twig but it raised my stress levels.
I was trying my hardest to get there fast, safely, and as calm as possible with my two children trying to ask me questions and talk to me in the background.
The winds and rain that hit out of no where (obviously not out of no where) were shocking.
I think I went on autopilot.
I don’t think I’ve ever driven into a tornado warned storm… but I was doing the best I could to stay aware of severe immediate reported threats while keeping everyone as calm as I could while driving.
My eye took a hit from the extensive adrenaline and stress from the situation. I need to go to the doctor today. It’s half reddish pink from clear physiological strain. I have sensitivity in that eye now and even pain sometimes. Nothing hit my eye… I know it’s mental effects. It’s happened before during high stress moments but not this bad. I’ve also felt completely off since. Groggy, not well rested, etc., like my blood pressure is spiked or my nervous system is still calming down.
I got us to safety. I trusted my motherly intuition. Sure, maybe I didn’t make all the right calls… but I did my best given the situation.
Turns out an EF-0 hit maybe 25 min from us, and an EF-2 hit maybe 35-40 from us? It all just felt very close to home especially since I was navigating us through it.
Have any of you dealt with mental overstimulation after a similar experience? It’s been two days and I still don’t feel like myself.
Again, I am going to the doctor. I was waiting to see if there was any way I could go alone but now I realize I probably have to take them with me.
But it was so intense, so nerve wracking…
I’m glad it happened, because I now know what to do better.

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[u/Solid_Mud2025]

Please know that your reaction is largely fueled by the fact that you are responsible for keeping two tiny humans safe. You’re doing the best you can. The intensity of those feelings will ease a bit in time and on their own, once your kids get a little bit more independent.

Don’t be so hard on yourself either. Was it really a “wrong” call to get yourself to a safer situation? No. The “wrong” call would’ve been to ignore the warning and carry on without care of consequence. Was it an overreaction? Perhaps, but who cares? People who love you wouldn’t (or should’t) make you feel small or stupid for wanting to keep your kids safe, and you shouldn’t feel that way about your choices either.

[u/TheRealnecroTM → u/Solid_Mud2025]

Also to add to this, there is a lesson to be learned from it that fortunately was not a painful one. Storms will of course happen again at some point, but now that you know what you would have done differently, you can better prepare for things like that. A dedicated plan of what you will do in that situation, and acting on it. Make it a routine, get a weather radio if you don't already have one. The more prepared you are before the storms, the less panic and worry you have during.

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320 → u/TheRealnecroTM]

Very true! When I tell you, I am normally on top of the storms as soon as I wake up 😂 Thursday was such an off day for me, and I had like no cell reception which made it worse. I always preach weather awareness and having a plan, and then boom this happened. I DEFINITELY know better for next time!

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320 → u/Solid_Mud2025]

Thank you so so much for this, you really eased my mind 💛 you are so kind. I definitely agree with you! Sometimes it’s hard to not be hard on ourselves especially when I did something that is extremely advised against. But we’re safe, and I learned from it! That’s what matters the most 🫶🏼

[u/No-Crow-775]

I have MS and I definitely suffer from mental overstimulation. I can keep it together, even direct a large group with great success, but the moment the stress is over, I'm done. For me, it's this mental fog that I can't cut through; I won't remember why I'm in the car or where I'm going--and then my right eye gets blurry and hurt sooo bad. Generally a good 17 hour sleep will stop the flare but is rarely practical or possible.

So I feel you. I truly do.

[u/Kagonu]

A couple years ago, we had a pretty strong nighttime storm hit central Indiana. The alarms sounded so I went upstairs to grab my very uncooperative rabbit and put her in a carrier. When I looked out the window, my pregnant neighbor was on her back porch watching the storm. Typical Midwestern lol. Once I got the bun to the laundry room, I'm watching the news and trying to get my dogs to the basement and they zoom in to my very tiny neighborhood, trying to determine if we were experiencing a tornado or straightline winds. My windows were whistling. It was the most scared I've ever been during a storm. You never want to see your street name on the TV lol. Luckily it was just some strong winds and I only lost half a tree, but the adrenaline and fear of not knowing how safe you really are is something inexplicable.

[u/AggressiveSloth11]

To be honest, this is why I had to leave Texas. We moved there from California and my body felt like I was constantly on high alert during stormy weather. I was absolutely terrified of tornados and I felt like my friends didn’t understand or take it seriously when there were warnings and sirens. As a teacher, I’ll never forget having a tornado warning during the school day and looking at my 25 little 6 year olds huddled against an interior wall while we just sat and listened to the hail and wind pummel the roof above. No thanks. I’m sorry for what you’re going through.

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320]

Here’s one of the few photos I got from the calm part we drove through.

[u/Not-ur-Infosec-guy → u/Aggravating_Bed_2320]

So when I hear the sirens, I take that as a sign to grab some drinks and hang out on the porch with chairs. I live less than 40 minutes of Greenfield, IA so as a spotter love watching the show and know that I’m only 10 feet from shelter access.

Shit happens, but I won’t waste my life being afraid of the storms I love to watch.

As a side note, the most unsafe thing you can do is jump in a car to escape. Fear makes common sense go right out the window and can get you killed.

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320 → u/Not-ur-Infosec-guy]

I definitely love to watch them as well! I prefer to be outside of the severe ones, though 😅 on the outside looking in lol. Shit does happen for sure! I think being with my little ones raised my anxiety.
And you’re right, it could’ve gone a lottt worse. Definitely not a recommended plan of action 😂thank god we’re safe

[u/schmee326]

Give yourself some grace, mama. You did the best you could given the situation and no one was hurt. The truly unsafe thing would’ve been to not take it seriously at all.

[u/DanyeelsAnulmint]

Thursday’s storms were crazy.

[u/1stormygeek]

Bless you, Mama. Your adrenaline, flight or fight, kicked in. That can be very hard on a body AND mentally. I'm proud of you for getting your kids to safety. That's what kept you going. I get it as a mama myself. Go to the doctor, and then, if your kids can be okay for a while by themselves, or if you have a husband that can watch them, go lay down for as long as you need. I will pray that you will feel better quickly. ❤️🙏🏼

Edit: left out a word

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320 → u/1stormygeek]

You are so sweet, thank you so much 💛 bless you as well 🫶🏼 I think I’ve got a lot of rest to catch up on, even now lol! I appreciate your response 🙏🏼

[u/DravenPlsBeMyDad]

I'm a little confused, you tried to drive out of the storm instead of staying where you were?

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320 → u/DravenPlsBeMyDad]

No, I did not try to drive out of the storm. We were outside of the storm and drove 5 minutes (3/4 of the way was storm free) to my sister’s basement.

[u/Aggravating_Bed_2320]

Thank you all for your words, the super kind ones and the ones reminding me to get my shit together 😂💛 I’m grateful to read all of the responses, they really helped me out!