This is what you can do if you are not feeling well mentally and have fled from Ukraine
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If you have fled, stress, poor sleep or poor concentration are not unusual characteristics. These characteristics are part of your mental health. This form of health is about how you feel. Read here about mental health and what you can do to feel better.
Stress is often the cause of not feeling well
When you flee to another country, you may feel less healthy. Often this is due to stress. When you are stressed, you may feel gloomy and anxious. Some people do not want to connect with others and have trouble trusting others. These are called psychological or mental complaints. Sometimes it can also cause physical symptoms, such as pain and not feeling like eating.
It is not unusual to experience this if you have fled. Stress is your body's natural response to difficult or traumatic events. It is quite normal. Often these symptoms go away after a while. Sometimes you need help to get better again.
Here is how to recognise in yourself that you are not feeling well mentally
There are many different characteristics of stress. From the characteristics below, you can recognise if you are not feeling healthy mentally.
Poor sleep
Worrying too much
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Forgetfulness
Quickly becoming angry
Quickly cry and becoming startled
Having scary dreams
Of course, there are other characteristics involved in mental health. If you feel unwell for an extended period of time and your gloomy or stressed feelings do not go away, you have mental complaints. There are many different words for mental complaints. Sometimes they also indicate, for example, that you experience mental problems or that you do not feel healthy mentally.
What you can do yourself if you suffer from mental symptoms
Sometimes you can do things yourself to feel better again. Below are the things you can try yourself to feel better.
Talking helps
Talk about it with someone you trust
Talking helps. It can make you feel less lonely. If it is still difficult to talk about it, get together with others to do things or just talk about everyday things. This can help you worry less. Consider meeting up with friends or family, helping others with everyday chores or volunteering.
Stay active and do not sleep during the day
Even if you are tired, try not to lie in bed or go to sleep during the day. Instead, go do something. For example, go for a walk outside or ride a bike, or do some exercise. Exercise reduces your stress.
Create a rhythm in your life
Try to keep a rhythm in your life. This can be difficult if you live in a reception centre with many other people or if your whole life has changed because you have fled. A rhythm can help you feel more in control of your life. For example, try to get up and go to bed at the same time every day. Avoid watching television in the hour before you go to sleep. Your head will be calmer if you listen to music or read instead.
Eat healthily and regularly
Even if you are not very hungry, do try to eat. Preferably eat three meals a day. And eat healthy things. Eating healthily reduces feelings of stress and gives you energy.
Immerse yourself in something you enjoy
If faith is important to you, try attending a church or a mosque. You can also give meaning to your life in other ways. For example, by going to a museum or the theatre. Or read books or listen to music. There are opportunities in the Netherlands for refugees to use cultural activities such as the library or museum for free or cheap. Ask others, such as your social worker, for tips.
Seek professional help if your bad feelings do not go away or get worse
Sometimes the symptoms become very severe and you can become mentally ill, this is also called mental illness. It does not mean that you have gone crazy but it does mean that you have been under severe stress for an extended period of time and your body and head cannot recover from the stress on their own.
There are treatments that can help you cope better with these mental health problems and improve your mental health. But this usually cannot be done alone. You then need professional help from a psychologist, for example. Below we give a few examples of mental illnesses. If you think you have them, seek professional help.
Depression
With depression, you often feel gloomy and have little desire or energy to do things. It seems like you cannot do anything anymore and that life has no meaning. You often struggle to concentrate. Feeling gloomy for an extended period of time may indicate depression.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, difficult memories from the past keep recurring in your thoughts or dreams. You can often be scared and startle easily. It is difficult to trust other people and you prefer not to have contact with them. In addition, you often sleep poorly.
Dependence on or addiction to medication, drugs or alcohol
If you can no longer relax without drugs, medications or alcohol, your body may have become addicted to them. If you frequently use these substances to relax or stop worrying, this can cause problems.
You can seek professional help through your doctor
After a month, are your symptoms not gone or getting worse? Then see your general practitioner. The GP can refer you to social workers in the area. For example, a psychologist, office assistant or nurse who knows a lot about mental symptoms.
The GP often cannot help you resolve your mental symptoms on your own. But the GP listens to your story and looks at what help is best for you. The doctor gives advice about sleeping and eating. And sometimes the GP will give you medication for a few days to help you sleep better.