The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation continues a series of live broadcast programmes aimed at providing psychological help to Donbas residents. Online broadcasts and webinars go live as part of the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation project on digital platforms of the Foundation. Viewers can pose their most pressing questions to the experts.
What is fear and why is it dangerous? How can persistent fear and anxiety be physically and psychologically detrimental to the health of Donbas civilians? Is it possible to overcome fear and how to do it? Yekateryna Vepro, a certified gestalt therapist and a family doctor, answered these and many other questions of the viewers.
Constant fear for your own life and the life of your family, anxiety and uncertainty are the factors that negatively affect physical and psychological health of Donbas civilians.
“First, most people start suffering from sleep disorders. Anything that reminds of war can cause a feeling of anxiety. As a result of fear, people start feeling constant anxiety, as they always have a sense of impending danger. This has a detrimental impact both on your psychological and physical health, in particular, it affects your nervous and cardiovascular systems,” said Yekateryna Vepro.
The expert also shared tips how to overcome this feeling of fear:
“At first, you need to understand what causes the fear and how real it is. If this is the work of your imagination, you need to use methods of rational thinking and use facts. If the fear is real, you need to create the safest possible place for yourself in this dangerous situation.
Please, take the test on the website of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation to understand if you need psychological support: akhmetovfoundation.org/ru/test/nuzhna-ly-vam-psyhologycheskaya-pomosch
For psychological support, you can also call the trust line of the Foundation at 0800509001.
The Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is a safe and trust-based place where Donbas residents can share their stories and experiences for the sake of the future and peace. If you want to read witness accounts of people from Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts or share your own story, please go to: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/ru/stories.