Right now, thousands of people are experiencing anxiety, fear, stress, and despair. You probably wish you felt different. And the question arises: “How do I get back into a functional state? How do I respond calmly and adequately to what's happening around me?”
We offer you a few simple practices that can help you get through the war and be useful to yourself and your loved ones.
To start, you can limit the time you spend scrolling through the news and set yourself clear, measurable intervals: once an hour; once every 3 hours, and so on.
A particularly strong source of stress is the feeling of helplessness and the inability to influence events. That's why it's helpful to accept the idea: “There are things I can influence. And there are things beyond my control.” What I can do — I will do, and what I cannot influence — I will accept as a fact.
If you take care of yourself now, you will later be able to support your loved ones. Now more than ever we need to pay attention to our mental and psychological health. No one is ever ready for war, but even in this situation we need to know how to cope with panic and fear — this is our top priority!
Anxiety during war is a normal reaction to danger. It's an emotional state marked by a constant expectation of negative events.
Let's briefly look at the functions of fear:
✓ Protective: prevents participation in potentially dangerous behavior;
✓ Motivational: stimulates action based on the likelihood of a successful outcome;
✓ Adaptive: mobilizes the body for a rapid change in behavior and adjustment to new conditions of existence.
1. Alarm — arousal of the entire body. It occurs when a threat to existence appears and lasts from 6 to 48 hours.
Today is the seventh day of the war, and many people notice that they've started to feel hunger, a surge of energy, a desire to do something. This is exactly the moment to switch gears and start taking care of yourself with tripled effort, otherwise the third stage will arrive.
3. Exhaustion — after prolonged exposure to a stressor, adaptive energy runs out. Persistent symptoms of anxiety may appear, and the body begins to break down.
So what should I do to preserve my mental health and stay functional?
Simple tips can help both you and the people around you. You can cope with this state on your own.
Continue doing these and other simple practices to keep yourself in a normal, functional state throughout this whole period of trials that has come into our lives.
It's important to remember: “There is a time for everything under the sun... which means this too shall pass.”
Of course, we, the psychologists and counselors of the “Rodnik” psychological help center, are glad to be useful to you. If it's hard to cope on your own — reach out, we are waiting for you!
Roman Shchetinin
