{"id":3586,"date":"2025-01-30T19:55:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T18:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/?p=3586"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:21:31","slug":"mental-health-care-living-in-war-conflict-zones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/mental-health-care-living-in-war-conflict-zones\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Sane Living in Conflict Zones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Practical Techniques for Maintaining Mental Health. <\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of my clients who lives in a war-torn country in the Middle East recently expressed her fear that she might lose her sanity. In her own words: \u201cThere are days I feel like I\u2019m one panic attack away from the psychiatric ward.\u201d Living in a conflict zone can mean losing a sense of safety not only for one\u2019s physical but also psychological wellbeing. For those in expat communities<\/a>, worrying about loved ones in conflict zones can take its toll. Indeed, explosions, drones, riots, protests, and the looming threat of escalations are the daily reality of millions of people around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It appears the Golden Age of peace – if it ever existed – has come to an end. The Ukraine-Russia war and the war in the Middle East are two major conflicts that are rarely off the front pages, but violence and armed conflicts plague communities across the world. The UN reported that approximately a quarter of the world\u2019s population live in conflict zones.<\/a> In 2024, one in seven people have already been exposed to violent conflict.  When we consider the loved ones of these people who worry about their brethren living in war zones, numbers rise even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surviving and living through violence is not only a physical but a mental feat that takes its toll on the human psyche. As Bessel van der Kolk\u2019s seminal book on the effects of trauma on the human body and mind aptly describes The Body Keeps the Score. <\/em>Fortunately, there are concrete steps you can take to minimize the stress of the political upheavals on your body, mind, and soul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Understand Your Body’s Response to Conflict: Fight or Flight (or Freeze)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is important to understand what happens to our bodies in the face of danger: As a living organism driven by instincts not unlike other animals, our sympathetic nervous system activates \u201cfight or flight\u201d responses, releasing adrenaline into our bloodstream, raising heart rate and blood pressure. If activated for extended periods of time, something this system was never designed to do, the result is anxiety, depression, burnout and a whole host of adverse psychological and physical effects. This is exactly what happens to our bodies when we experience daily disruptions to our peaceful existence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on the Here and Now to Restore your Sense of Safety <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It might seem impossible or even irresponsible to preserve a sense of safety when living through war or conflict. After all, you must stay alert to ensure your and your family’s physical safety. But your body cannot handle being alert 24\/7. You need to sleep, work, eat, socialize, and even laugh to stay healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a simple technique to minimize the effects of this extreme stress: mindfulness of the here and now. During the moments when you are not in imminent danger, it is important to remind your body and mind that you are safe.<\/em><\/strong> A simple recognition of that fact can do wonders. So take a deep breath, look at your surroundings, feel the ground under your feet, the chair supporting your torso and say this sentence out loud: \u201cAt this moment, I am safe.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Validate your Feelings and Cultivate Witness Awareness <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the world seemingly falling apart<\/a>, walking around town, seeing others go about their daily routine might feel surreal, like you are the only one with worries and anxiety about the immediate and distant future. As a client put it: \u201cEveryone seems to manage but me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, afraid, or even numb. Your body and mind are responding normally to an abnormal situation. You might find yourself crying at your desk one day and feeling guilty about socializing the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s no “right” way to feel. Acknowledge your emotions\u2013the positive and the negative\u2013 and embrace them with compassion. Allowing your feelings to simply be without expecting them to change or disappear may seem counterintuitive, especially since most of us have been taught to fight negative emotions. But emotions cannot be controlled. They come and they go, as if they have a will of their own. All we can really do is to be aware of our feelings.  In Buddhist psychology, this practice is called witness awareness, which you can develop by practicing meditation and mindfulness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Connect with your Body Sensations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The path to cultivating witness awareness goes through your body sensations. Our body\u2019s role as an anchor to the present moment becomes all the more essential in difficult times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you find yourself overwhelmed with worry, take a moment to notice your sensations: Notice the ground under your feet, how does the weight of your body feel on your feet? Are you stepping equally on both feet or leaning towards one side? Examine your posture with curiosity: notice how the distribution of your weight affects the rest of your body. You can also work with your tactile sensations, noticing the texture of the clothes on your skin, whether they are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. How does the air feel? Cold, warm, or just right? Does the temperature feel the same all throughout your body or do you notice different sensations in different parts of your body? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking even a minute to notice these physical sensations will allow your mind to focus on what you feel here and now, giving you a much needed respite from the anxiety loop<\/a> you may have been experiencing in your mind moments before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Your Body Hits Pause: Understanding the Freeze Response<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When living in a conflict zone, daily life is filled with potential triggers. Construction sounds might be interpreted as explosions, and ambulance sirens can trigger memories of air raids. Many people report “freezing” in these moments, describing a sensation of being “breathless.” This freeze response is a biological reaction to threat, just as natural as the fight-or-flight response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider this common scenario: You’re standing in line to order coffee when you hear what sounds like gunshots. Your body jolts, your breathing stops, and you find yourself frozen like a deer in headlights. Seconds later, you realize it was just a car backfiring. While your brain quickly processes this information \u2013 “It was just a car, go ahead order your cappuccino” \u2013 your body remains tense. You continue with your order, but there’s a sensation like a stone lodged in your throat, making it difficult to swallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Moving Through Fear: Physical Techniques for Release<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This experience \u2013 the sudden startle followed by immobility \u2013 is the freeze response in action. Even after your brain recognizes there’s no danger, your body needs time to process the experience. The flight\/fight\/freeze response, once activated, must be actively deactivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there’s a simple technique you can use right there in the coffee line: shake it off \u2013 literally. Experiment with what feels right for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n