How not to go crazy during the war and not to snap at your family. Psychologist's advice

In times of war, the level of aggression in people often goes off the charts. The accumulation of anger is dangerous because it destroys the body from the inside. How do you act in such a difficult situation without going crazy and lashing out at your loved ones?

It is important to be able to calm your own aggression. Psychiatrist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Oleh Chaban gave advice on the YouTube channel "Sukhanov Speaks" on how to relieve yourself and not to transfer your anger to those around you.

If a person can't get the person who pushes the button and launches the missile that kills their countrymen, they start to get angry. Watching the news, where missiles destroyed a familiar town or village, you get even more agitated. Throughout the day, she is overwhelmed by horrific images from the places of arrival. And in the evening he brings this rage home. Psychiatrist Oleh Chaban emphasizes that we have no right to take out our aggression on our relatives. However, we cannot keep this negativity inside us either.

"You need to realize that you are in those emotions that, if left unchecked, begin to destroy your body: high blood pressure, vasospasm, and sleep disturbances that set off a whole chain of diseases. You have to think about what to do with your anger. When you remove a stone from your soul, do not hurt others. Don't throw it at your children, at your wife, who are at hand. Yes, if you take it out on them, you might feel better. But you're hurting your own people. Therefore, the solution to the problem begins with the realization that I am behaving in the wrong way," the psychotherapist explains.

Oleh Chaban gives some tips on how to calm your anger without harming yourself or others. If a person is healthy, the best way to relieve anger is physical activity.

"However, if a person has just had a myocardial infarction, you probably won't drive them to the stadium. Or if a person is a night owl, you shouldn't force them to get up at 6 am. This will create even more stress for the person. Physical activity is very important, but only if it does not conflict with health, lifestyle, and biological rhythms. If a person is a night owl, then I would say to take your dog in the evening and go for a brisk walk. Or even better, go Nordic walking with your wife so that it is really not just a walk, but physical activity," the psychiatrist said.

If even minimal physical activity is unbearable for a person, the doctor advises other ways of unloading. "Rest is the opposite of daily activity. If you are an intellectual, sitting at a computer, then your recreational vacation should be without a computer and without complicated intellectual things. For example, plant some flowers. If you work with your arms or legs all day, watch a good movie, read a book, or go to the theater with your wife. Talking to people who are balanced, who can tell you a story about their grandparents who lost everything in the war but survived and were happy in the end, helps to unload," advises Chaban.

If a person has a serious mental disorder, they should urgently consult a psychiatrist who will prescribe certain medications. According to the Ministry of Health, since 2022, the number of people using antidepressants in Ukraine has increased dramatically. However, it is in no way possible to take the drugs without a specialist's prescription.

"New-generation antidepressants are not addictive. In the US, they are so popular that they are even given to dogs. However I am against the idea of spraying antidepressants on the population from an airplane or helicopter. No, it is better to do everything to do without drugs. But there are situations when you cannot do without drugs. According to the law on psychiatry in Ukraine, only a psychiatrist can make a psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore, antidepressants can only be taken as prescribed by a specialist. After all, the drugs are different and they should be selected according to the patient's symptoms," emphasizes Oleh Chaban.

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