The Russian invasion of Ukraine: How to manage war-related anxiety.

The war happening in Ukraine has sent the lives of the people caught up in the conflict into crisis. The ripple effects of the conflict are also impacting the lives of people across the globe in many indirect ways. 

There is a lot of news coverage about the conflict on TV and social media, and people are having many conversations about the conflict within their family and friendship groups. All of this can be difficult to take in and the stories from Ukraine can be frightening and painful to hear. Feeling overwhelmed when facing a situation like this is normal and understandable.

This is also a deeply uncertain time. Nobody knows what the future will hold or what will happen next. This uncertainty can be difficult to process and cause worry, confusion and stress.

Acknowledging that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is having an impact on your own mental health and wellbeing does not minimise or take away from the suffering of those who are directly affected by the conflict and it is ok to take steps to care for yourself at this time. Here are 5 things you can do to help cope and manage anxiety during this difficult time.  

1. Limit your news intake

Staying informed is important during these times. Sometimes it can feel like you have a responsibility to follow everything that’s happening, but if you’re finding the news triggering, it’s ok to take a step back. When you are looking for information and updates on what’s happening in Ukraine, it’s important to go to trusted and reliable news sources that report what’s happening accurately and don’t write about potential negative outcomes in the future.  

Here are some articles that can help. 

• Is it time for a digital detox?
• What is fake news and how to recognise it

2. Reconnect with the moment

If you find that you’re spending a lot of time worrying about what may happen next, try bringing your focus back to the present. This is an uncertain time, and when our minds encounter uncertainty, we often respond by imagining the worst case scenario. While this is a natural response, it’s also an unhelpful one, and redirecting our attention onto the here and now can help. Mindfulness and meditation are useful tools for reconnecting with the moment. 

Here are some articles that can help. 

• 5 mindfulness exercises you can try
• What can mindfulness meditation do for your mental health?
• What is grounding and how can it help me?

3. Recognise what you can and can’t control

You may want to take action to help end the violence after witnessing the crisis in Ukraine. Unfortunately, people outside of the conflict do not have a lot of power to directly change what happens next. This can be distressing and leave you feeling helpless, but there are steps that you can take to help. Read this article to learn more. 

4. Take time out for wellbeing

All of the news, confusion and panic since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can take a toll on your mental health. No matter how you are feeling, it’s okay to take time for yourself to process. Be patient and kind to yourself during this time, and create a space to care for your mental wellbeing.

Here are some articles that can help. 

• 5 ways to achieve wellbeing
• What is self-care?
• Learning to live with grief

5. Talk to someone

There’s a lot of fear and pain to process at this time, but you don’t have to manage it alone. Talking to someone you trust about how you’re feeling can make all of this easier to absorb. Saying your worries out loud and having someone listen openly and without judgement can make a big difference.

Feeling overwhelmed and want to talk to someone?

• Get anonymous support 24/7 with our text message support service
• Connect with a trained volunteer who will listen to you, and help you to move forward feeling better
• Free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to begin
• Find out more about our text message support service

If you are a customer of the 48 or An Post network or cannot get through using the ‘50808’ short code please text HELLO to 086 1800 280 (standard message rates may apply). Some smaller networks do not support short codes like ‘50808’.