Self-care is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. Nowadays in Ukraine, that’s our daily reality marked by rocket shellings. After a night of heavy air strikes, we try to pull ourselves together and return to work and daily duties, because life doesn’t pause — even when we’re running on empty.
Living in a constant state of cortisol — stress, fear, and anger quickly leads to consequences that lower our quality of life: anxiety, insomnia, aggression, and chronic fatigue. These are normal reactions to abnormal events. But ignoring them won’t make them vanish. To have the strength to carry on and support others, we must first care for ourselves.
Together with Anna Hrubaia, psychologist and curator of GIDNA, we’ve gathered practical tools to help you take care of your emotional well-being after a night attack.
“Today, self-care is about survival. We all need to learn to live in prolonged turbulence. Self-care is not about bubble baths — it’s about the basics: getting enough sleep, eating, finding support, and not being alone with your anxiety. This is basic mental hygiene — and it helps preserve your life, relationships, and mind,” Anna explains.
The first step to self-care is recognizing changes in your condition:
- Persistent anxiety, even during calm periods.
- Trouble sleeping: difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night, nightmares.
- Fatigue that doesn’t go away, even with rest.
- Irritability and strong reactions to ordinary things.
- Loss of appetite or overeating.
- Unexplained physical pain: tension in shoulders or back, headaches.
- Hopelessness or communication refusal.
Our body often speaks before our mind can process what’s happening. So don’t wait for a “personal crash down” — act when the first warning signs appear.
How can you take care of yourself on your own?
Here are simple but effective techniques for managing anxiety and emotional exhaustion:
1. Reclaim your basics: sleep, food, movement
It may sound obvious, but it’s the foundation of your well-being. Your body can’t stay in “combat mode” 24/7. Even a short nap, a glass of water, a shower, or a short walk counts as self-care.
2. Name what you feel
Try saying out loud or to yourself: “I’m angry. I’m scared. I’m in pain.” It’s not weakness — it’s honesty. Once emotions are named, they stop controlling you — you start managing them.
3. Limit your information intake
Constant doom-scrolling is one of the strongest triggers. Set limits: decide when and how often to check the news. Stick to one or two reliable sources.
4. Ground yourself
When you feel overwhelmed and off balance, bring yourself back to the present moment:
- name 5 things you can see;
- touch 4 different textures;
- listen for 3 different sounds;
- notice 2 smells;
- take 1 deep breath
This grounding exercise helps stabilize your nervous system.
5. Stay connected
Talk to family, friends, colleagues — even if just over messages. Share how you’re feeling, and ask how others are doing. It builds a sense of support and connection.
6. Create space for silence
Even 10–15 minutes a day without news, conversations, or noise can heal. Sit with your coffee, read a book, or be quiet. It helps your nervous system reset.
When is it necessary to seek help from a psychologist?
A psychologist isn’t a last resort — it’s a part of normal self-care. They can help you hear yourself, find stability, and understand how to support your healing. Sometimes, they’re simply someone to be there with you.
Reach out to a specialist if:
- Anxiety or exhaustion symptoms persist for more than two weeks
- Your sleep and appetite are significantly disrupted
- You feel no desire to live or do anything
- It’s hard to be active, work, or communicate
Anna Hrubaia explains that anxiety and exhaustion are like warning lights on a car dashboard. Ignoring them is like driving with a flashing red light — you won’t get far. “Your body will always demand care, one way or another. Either we take care of ourselves in time, or we’re left dealing with the consequences,” says Anna.
Ignoring anxiety and emotional exhaustion may cause:
Sleep disorders. It may start as mild insomnia or unrestful sleep, but over time, it drains your nervous system even more, creating a vicious cycle of anxiety and fatigue.
Chronic fatigue. Even after weekends or vacations, you don’t feel restored. Your body switches into emergency power mode. You lose interest in life, hobbies, and your surroundings.
Physical symptoms. The body expresses what the mind suppresses: muscle tension, headaches, stomach pain, lowered immunity, and flare-ups of chronic conditions are all signs of built-up stress.
Emotional instability. You might feel irritable, weepy, apathetic, or overreact to small things. Emotional reserves get depleted, and it becomes harder to control your reactions.
Strained relationships. In prolonged stress, people tend to either isolate or lash out. It undermines emotional bonds and enhances the feeling of loneliness.
Burnout risk. When your energy is drained but you continue to push yourself to stay strong, you might lose motivation, meaning, and the desire to do anything, even to live.
If anxiety and exhaustion aren’t addressed in time, they can turn into deeper emotional states that take much longer and far more effort to recover from. The best thing we can do is care for ourselves daily, in small steps, before a total collapse phase appears.
Because self-care isn’t something we do “after work” or “when it gets easier”.
It’s something we do here and now.
