The psychologist told how to save your psyche in this difficult time, tips for those who are in conditional safety

On February 24, the life of all Ukrainians turned upside down. The war broke out and everyone woke up in a new reality. Many people were under fire and still cannot leave the hot spots. Millions had to leave home and go into the unknown. All those who are somehow in conditional security, can not continue to live as before. They are tormented by survivor syndrome, constant anxiety, uncertainty about the future.



And today's edition. "Site" It tells you how to protect your psyche in a war. We tell you what survivor syndrome is, how to cope with it and where to find the strength to continue living.

All those who managed to escape to more or less safe regions, and even those who were originally there, can now feel guilty. It is often the guilt and shame of being safe while others suffer. This is survivor's syndrome. What to do with it and how to deal with it? It is a difficult question, but we will deal with the help of a psychologist.

Let’s start with where the guilt comes from. To understand this, you need to go back a little and remember what aggression is. Because guilt is aggression directed at oneself.



We often think of the word aggression in a negative way, but it’s just a mechanism that helped us and our ancestors survive. We need to understand the difference: we have dental and annihilation aggression. Dental aggression helps us survive. Thanks to her, we do our work, eat and do many other things. It is directed outward and exists so that we can evolve and continue to live.

Annihilation aggression is the aggression that destroys. And that’s exactly the fault of the survivor – annihilation aggression, which should have been aimed at the enemy, at the one who is really guilty of what happened, but could not be realized. That's why it was directed at itself. Let’s say we would like to destroy the enemy right now with our own hands, but there is no such possibility. So all this aggression is directed at ourselves, and we feel an incredible sense of guilt.



Survivor’s Syndrome: What Can You Do About It? I have a few tips. First, we need to recognize and accept that feeling guilty is normal in the current environment. It is important to understand that it is anger at those who ruined your life. It's not much, but it will help you a little in this situation.

Second, we have to do something. Just remember that you need to act as much as you can. If you have resources and resources, you can volunteer. Even a small case can help. You can also take care of yourself and home improvement. If you moved to another city, think about how you will live here, what you need, what else you can do for yourself and your family. The important thing is to find something to do. Unfortunately, that's all we can do. Live on, do everything that depends on us, and adapt to new conditions of life.



The new reality is another thing to say. Over the past month, time has flown at an incredible speed. Every day the situation changed, there was a lot of news and tasks. On adrenaline, we could stay awake for days, do things all the time and live in a frantic rhythm. But now time is starting to slow down. The days are almost the same, there is almost no news. And our minds respond to that.

And that’s okay, because everyone needs time to breathe out. It is difficult to overcome the storm, but even harder to survive the calm that follows. In order not to break down, you need to slowly get used to new circumstances: stock up on strength, patience and endurance, open a second breath in yourself. And keep breathing slowly and steadily.



Which helps:

1. Realizing that this slowdown is happening to everyone, not just you.
2. Thoughts of not being alone.
3. Faith in the best: in the victory of justice, in the bright future.
4. Doing the daily routine.
5. Thoughts about the future, plans. And no matter how realistic, the main thing is the attitude that there is a future.
6. Self-care. According to the principle of flight attendants, the mask is first on yourself. Whoever saves himself can help someone else.
7. Caring for others. In difficult times, it is more important than ever to help those in need.

We hope we can shed some light on the situation and help you manage your stress and anxiety. We also offer to see beautiful illustrations that appeared during the war. They'll help raise morale. In general, we recommend that you seek consolation in everything you can. It is important to keep everything bright and good in yourself, so that life afterward is possible. Take care!