Life in constant anxiety: psychologists from mobile medical teams help people living near the frontline cope with their condition.
The village where Valentina lives is located more than 100 km from the contact line. However, the locals can hear the sounds of fighting. At such moments and during air raids, the woman feels anxiety and cannot cope with it on her own.
Therefore, she turned to a psychologist for help when a free reception of a mobile team was organized in their village as part of the project "Integrated Primary Health Care and Psychosocial Support in the Border Regions of Ukraine" with the support of the Government of Germany and the EU.
The 68-year-old woman told the specialist that she was feeling terrible and was starting to remember the events of 2022. At that time, fighting was going on twenty kilometers from their home.
“It was very scary! Such terrible sounds and explosions… My husband and I were hiding in the basement of our apartment building. During the shelling, we had to go to visit an elderly mother who needed help but didn’t want to leave her home. And she was most worried about her daughter and little granddaughter. They lived in a neighboring town. The house was damaged by a guided bomb. The child couldn’t sleep, cried and was afraid of loud noises,” the woman recalled.
Valentina's daughter and granddaughter later went abroad, the line of contact moved away. However, the memories cause the woman anxiety. Therefore, the psychologist advised the woman to do exercises to reduce it. In particular, abdominal or square breathing. They saturate the body with oxygen, stabilize the heartbeat, reduce stress and physical exertion.
During the brigade's next visit to the village, the woman reported that the exercises were helping her, she became calmer and continued to work on herself. Valentyna also continues to work with a psychologist. This and other positive results are being achieved thanks to German and European investments in medical and psychosocial support for residents of frontline areas.
The project is implemented by the Light of Hope NGO within the framework of the EMPOWER project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with the European Union and implemented by GIZ Ukraine.
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