In times of war and military actions, each of us may experience intense stress, anxiety, and fear. Psychological health is crucial for coping with difficult situations and maintaining inner resilience. Our organization wants to share the rules of first psychological aid and recommendations from guest expert, clinical psychologist Tetiana Yuzvak, to help you manage challenging circumstances.
Recommendations from Clinical Psychologist Tetiana Yuzvak:
Tetiana Yuzvak emphasizes the importance of maintaining mental health during difficult circumstances. Here are her tips and recommendations:
- Pay Attention to Your Body: Ensure sufficient physical activity, as mental stress is largely relieved through the body (walking, stretching, massage, pull-ups, running, swimming, strength training).
- Focus on Recovery Between Anxieties and Events:
- Through sleep, food, and rest (if the night was restless, sleep during the day; try not to deviate from a rational diet).
- Through grounding techniques and actions that calm you in the moment: meditation, breathing exercises, focusing on support points, simple counting and calculations, crosswords, puzzles, cooking, cleaning, gardening.
- By limiting the amount of information and communication.
- Through routine, work, study, and household chores – shift your focus from anxious thoughts to actions to gain a sense of stability.
- Recall and dream (no war can take this from you), treat yourself when the danger is over, fulfill a reachable wish.
- Experience Emotions in the Moment: Allow yourself to express feelings, recognize and verbalize them.
- Create Action Plans: (preferably 2-3) in case the situation escalates. What can we do to protect ourselves? Prepare an emergency bag, plan for evacuation, establish communication with others (chats, contacts). Think about what human and material resources can be mobilized. Have a simple plan. Delegate what can be delegated.
Your task is to maintain your mental health to the maximum in the conditions where you are.
Do Not Hesitate to Seek Help:
Ask for support from relatives, friends, or contact a specialist psychologist or psychotherapist.
Psychological Support Centers!
We remind you that you can always seek support at our psychological support centers located in the Zhytomyr region. Our administrators will help organize a meeting with a qualified psychologist, provide technical assistance, and ensure comfort and confidentiality during your consultation.
Appointments for online consultations with a psychologist are made through the administrators of the psychological support centers. Do not stay alone with your problems – we are here to help you find the inner resources to overcome difficulties.
Administrators are ready to work, providing registration and technical support for online consultations with a psychologist for visitors. They will assist with connecting and setting up technical devices.
Come and get the necessary support at the psychological support centers in your community!
ℹ️ This project is implemented by the In Touch Ukraine Foundation with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project executors are a consortium of three organizations: Pact, FHI 360, and AFEW-Ukraine (AIDS Foundation East-West).