Is it necessary to celebrate New Year’s holidays during the war?
During ten months, Ukrainians have experienced daily pain of losses, fear of shellings, and anxiety for the future. However, despite the war, life continues: unusual and abnormal, but even so, it should carry good warm moments. In anticipation of traditional winter holidays, people wonder if they should celebrate them.
“You can find the answer to this question in yourself. If you feel reluctance, resist the idea that you can celebrate during the war: don’t do something against your will,” ADRA Ukraine psychologist responds.
It’s important to remember that ability to rejoice is one of the basic emotions of a person; it’s an emotion that gives the incentive to fight further. She adds that preserving such traditions as decorating Christmas trees or exchanging gifts is essential.
When a person gets into a crisis or experiences traumatic events, we must remove them from the traumatic situation, at least for a short time. It’s an opportunity to immerse in pre-holiday festivities that allow a person to distract from problems briefly.
“By creating and maintaining holiday traditions with the child, you build support that allows them to adapt to new presents and get warm memories of joy, toys, the smell of tangerines, peace and no worries. It’s possible to reduce internal tension that negatively affects health and psychological state,” the psychologist continues.
Holidays must be appropriate to the circumstances. It’s necessary to remember you are surrounded by people who’ve lost loved ones or become homeless. “During the celebration, don’t neglect the feelings of people around you. Don’t turn on loud music, and don’t use fireworks. To maintain psychological health, it’s necessary to respect your interests and interests of others, accepting manifestations of their emotions with understanding and respect,” ADRA Ukraine psychologist concludes.
ADRA Ukraine, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany (German Federal Foreign Office), provides psychological support to people who find it challenging to cope independently with traumatic experiences due to the war.
