(blog)

“We are told that war is murder. No: it is suicide.”
– Ramsay McDonald

On February 24 each of us, began another life: a hard, terrible, dangerous, sad life… For each of us this war is a test, which we will definitely pass. We just have to pass it; there is no other option, because we are the strongest and most honest.

Today I want to give you advice on what to do in times of war, so as not to go crazy from the avalanche of appalling information we see in the news channels, from those horrible images from the cities of our country, from that misunderstanding, lack of acceptance, hopelessness, despair, pain and hatred…so as not to go crazy about war.

I’ll be honest with you, personally, I’m not very good at it. ☹ But I try in every way to occupy myself with what I can physically and, most importantly, morally. I advise you to find at least one activity, which will switch your brain to something more pleasant.

1. Try to read less news. Yes, it is difficult, because constantly something new happens, and you want to know everything. But it greatly affects your mood and morale. So, you need to allocate a certain time (how many minutes and when) you want to read the news. Of course, if the news relates to you or your location read it at the same minute. I’ll tell you right away that I still haven’t managed to build this schedule, and I read the news 24/7.
2. Sleep. This is even harder than the first point, but you have to try. Air alerts get in the way of doing it the way we would like, but we need to find any “quiet” time and sleep. Quiet during the day? Take a nap if you feel a dire need. Otherwise, the small amount of sleep will not only lead to psychological problems, but also to physical problems. Regarding me, between the 24^th of February and about the 3^rd of April, I slept a total of no more than 5 hours during that entire period. And that’s very hard. I’m sleeping better now, thank God, I’ve managed to calm down a bit and now my hands aren’t shaking at night and my heart isn’t beating as if it’s about to jump out of my body. But the constant airborne anxiety still prevents me from getting a full night’s sleep.
3. Breathe fresh air. Breathing is just as important as sleeping. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to even get out of hiding right now. But if you can get at least one minute in the fresh air – do it, by all means. Because oxygen starvation is as dangerous as a lack of sleep. Without air your head begins to hurt, which aches continuously, so try to minimize this pain.
4. Eat and drink water. I understand that not everyone has the ability or desire to do this. But you have to. At least little by little, in order to support the strength of your body, which is getting flabby. You will need it, especially in the future, to rebuild our beautiful Ukraine. ?
5. Study, read, learn something new, register for courses or some programs. I won’t advise anything here. If you want to do it, and you have strength – do it. Because these things are really distracting. It’s important that you don’t do it by force. Personally, I wasn’t thrilled about the news of resuming my studies, and now it’s hard for me, and it doesn’t offer any new knowledge, but I do it because I have to, and because it does switch my mind a bit.
6. Help. If you feel the need to help and you have the opportunity, be sure to find a volunteer station near you. There, you can not only help those in need, but you can shift your thoughts in a different direction. Or you can help with information messages right from home.
7. Communicate. Talk to family, friends, neighbors, and people in hiding places…everyone need a human being in such a difficult time.
8. And lastly, sports. If you have strength and desire, you can do sports. Now it is safe to do it at home, provided that your city is calm. You don’t have to do anything serious; you don’t need strong exercises, but some light fitness, regular exercises or yoga (meditation), will help you cope with bad thoughts and fatigue from sitting or lying down all the time.

Bonus! If you have pets (no matter what they are), spend more time with them. It’s a kind of psychotherapy for you, and happiness, peace and love for them.

And most importantly – take care of yourself and your loved ones! ♥