How to help yourself when stressed
The seventh day since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The entire Ukrainian society coordinated to defend its land: in the army, in the military, as a volunteer, on the information front, simply doing their job.
But at some point, in a state of constant or permanent stress, anyone can feel tired, apathetic, unwilling to do anything, and even doomed.
Psychologist and family psychotherapist Anastasia Slyusar tells how to overcome this condition and recover.
In crisis situations, there are three most critical days: the 5th, 12th, 21st. Pay attention to your condition these days. Do you feel apathy, unwillingness to do anything, do you feel like you’re “deflated”? This is fine! So what's going on?
After five days of stress, fatigue begins to accumulate in the nervous system and the areas of the brain responsible for our reactions. Just yesterday you were running and full of energy, but today you feel slight disorientation, the speed of thinking is slowing down. Don't worry, you're okay!
There are several simple ways to get out of this state.
1. Don’t do anything forcefully or desperately, because “I have to.” Find a way to “unplug” and slow down.
2. If you need to lie down, lie down. Not with a phone in hand, scrolling through the news feed! Know: if you don’t lie down voluntarily, your body will “figure out” how to put you to bed. Do you need it?
3. The notorious water regime. In a state of stress, the body works in emergency mode. Without going into complex chemical processes: just drink water, in small portions, but often. Let the bottle always be at hand.
4. Breathe! And breathe with your stomach. We usually breathe from the upper chest (stress breathing) and the diaphragm. Do this: sit down or, if possible, lie down, put your palm on your stomach and breathe as if into it. We inflate and deflate the belly. At least for a few minutes.
5. Plan! "Do I have a plan?" No matter how strange and ridiculous it may sound now, we take out a notebook or phone and start writing out our day. Yes, meticulously: call, wash, get, check... The best way to calm down the limbic system, which is responsible for emotions, is to switch it to the diet.
6. Do things with your hands. Fine motor skills are more useful than ever. Sort through cereals, papers on the table, knit and embroider...
7. If you have strength, do some exercises. We turn our heads (with fixation on different objects, in stress, swing to the right, swing to the left). Expanding your tunnel vision. We wave our arms and legs. The body contracts muscularly under stress, and our task is to unclench it, “stretch” it to the sides.
8. Find ways and methods to smile! It’s cool if you find a reason to laugh and cheer up your loved ones. And our memes, our national humor or just favorite films/videos will help
Let's hold on, dears! Everything will be Ukraine!