Coping with worry and uncertainty due to the threat of war

Anxiety and worry can be alleviated by following your usual routines. Also important for maintaining and improving your mood are regular sleeping and eating rhythms as well as exercise and focusing on meaningful activities.

Reduce your level of strain by decreasing the amount you do. Go for activities such as reading or listening to books, watching TV series, listening to podcasts, trying home exercise routines and stretching, or studying something interesting online. Try to find a balance between processing the threatening situation and other matters. If this is difficult, try to focus on creating concrete practical plans for your days.

Anxiety is a natural and understandable reaction to changes and abnormal situations. Anxiety develops when the body’s alarm system gets activated by signs of threat or danger, and if this persists for a long time, it manifests as constant worry. The uncertain situation poses a threat to which the body and mind react. This feels unpleasant in your body and increases the experience of anxiety, which can result in an increase in intrusive and anxious thoughts. Consequently, the situation begins to feel more threatening than it really is. Focusing on news coverage on the war between Russia and Ukraine raises questions of how to prepare for the worst and increases your knowledge of the situation. This can give an increased feeling of control and lessen the anxiety in the short term, but the long-term consequences are often negative.

Excessive anticipation can easily turn into excessively dwelling on and worrying about the issue, which is then difficult to stop once it has started. Dwelling on the matter seems to make you feel temporarily better , but going ruminating on these issues actually makes your anxiety worse over time. The physical body is also burdened by being in a continuous state of alert. Anxiety itself can arise from the fact that the body has, in a sense, prepared for a fight or flight situation and as a result the body experiences the physical sensations of stress and anxiety.

Instead, focus on something else for a while and give your body some space to breathe. There is no need to watch or read every related news broadcast or article at its time of publication.

The uncertainty stirred by the war in Ukraine may relate to a possible military threat to Finland, for example, or the role and fate of yourself and your loved ones in such a situation. This crisis has changed the world and our lives in an unexpected way, and it may suddenly seem that you cannot predict at all what will happen and how everything will turn out. Sometimes you may feel that if you can't be sure of things, life can no longer be enjoyable, or as enjoyable as before.

Because uncertainty is difficult to cope with, it may seem an attractive goal to achieve certainty about everything. Since certainty can never be achieved, however, the effort to achieve it often adds to your worries and consumes energy. Instead, learning to tolerate and except uncertainty is the path to less worry.

It is difficult for many to tolerate uncertainty, but it is possible to learn to live with things that cannot be controlled and about which you can never be certain.

Exercise: tolerating uncertainty

In this exercise, you will think about uncertainty and how to cope with it.

1. Consider the different factors in your life which you cannot be sure of. Think for a moment and then list all the things that come to mind.
2. What thoughts does this uncertainty bring to you? For example: “If I’m not prepared enough, things will probably go wrong in the worst possible way.”
3. What methods have you used to achieve certainty in different areas of your life? For example: “I ask other people to remind me of things, and I check things with them in order to be sure.”
4. How have you benefited from seeking certainty? For example: “By following the news, I have avoided surprises.”
5. What have been the downsides of seeking certainty? For example: “I can’t concentrate on things, I just go over the issues again and again, and I’m frustrated by the uncertainty.” 

When you recognize unpleasant thoughts and feelings in yourself, do not try to get rid of them but instead accept that they are there. By practising tolerance of feelings of uncertainty, it will become easier over time to cope with them. This is a skill that can be learnt over time.

When listening to news about the war in Ukraine and carrying worries about the threat of war, everyday life can often feel difficult. However, it is possible to practice coping skills in everyday life. Accepting your own vulnerabilities and taking on the task of practising toleration of uncertainty as part of your life is already enough to bring you much closer to a balanced and calm approach to the issue.

Using your time meaningfully supports your mental and physical well-being. Of key importance is balancing your time between following the news, taking care of your relationships and doing the things that matter to you. The most important thing is to maintain a steady routine. Even small actions can support one's own everyday well-being if they reflect one's own values of what is a good life and a just way to act.

Worry and anxiety can lead to problems such as loss of appetite or insomnia. The reactions may be strong, but they are understandable and quite common. You don't need to get rid of them right away. Allow yourself to rest if you find you are overburdened.

A concerning situation can also affect your relationships and other networks in many ways. People deal with things in different ways and differ, for example, in the extent to which they want to discuss the issue. Sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone can help you feel better and broaden your own view of the situation when you are finding it difficult. It is also important to be open with those close to you about what kind of things help you deal with the situation.

Exercise: relaxing by breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing helps the body relax. When worried, people begin to breathe quickly but shallowly. By practising relaxing breathing, you can learn to get your body out of its emergency state and sooth your anxiety. Do this exercise when you feel anxious and either it is hard to think about other things or the anxiety is in some other way interfering with your daily activities.

Let’s practise:

1. Find a comfortable position. Don't cross your legs, however.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
3. Breathe slowly in and out.
4. Try to breath so that only the hand resting on the abdomen moves. Your chest should stay still.
5. Pay attention to your breath and continue to breathe gently for a while. Focus on counting the breaths: in 1, out 1, in 2, out 2, and so on. Focus on counting to 10 without increasing the speed of your breathing. If you lose focus, start again at one and count calmly to ten. There is no need to hurry.

Exercise: accepting emotions

The war between Russia and Ukraine and concerns about the future and the possible spread of war can stir up many different emotions. You can practice accepting emotions, but you cannot control what emotions emerge.

Let’s practise:

1. Stop doing everything for a moment and focus exclusively on the feelings stirred by your worries.
2. Express them in clear words and accept them as they are. Be gentle in how you think about yourself and the feelings provoked. These are the emotions you are experiencing right now, and they are understandable.
3. Focus on your bodily sensations for one minute: the calm rhythm of your breathing, your clothes against your skin, the floor under your feet. Observe your feelings calmly, like a radio commentator, no matter what they are. Just take note of your feelings, without judging them.
4. Close your eyes for a second. Imagine what your worry would look like. What shape and colour would it have?
5. Then let it go. Watch in your mind how your worry slowly distances itself, as if carried away by the waves. Rising and falling, moving away.
6. Let yourself return to a place of calm.