Another PsyDetox meeting confirmed once again: sometimes the most important thing is not to get ready-made answers, but to find a space for an honest conversation about what is happening to us.
We started with a topic that turned out to be common to almost everyone. War changes the very feeling of life. It seems that resources are constantly lacking: strength, time, attention, money, confidence. And this is experienced not only by people in Ukraine, but also by Ukrainians living in other countries. There is a feeling that you have to solve a lot of tasks at the same time, rely primarily on yourself and have almost no right to be tired.
But gradually the conversation changed direction. It turned out that resources rarely come “on schedule.” They are not always a reward for the efforts made. Sometimes the opposite happens: just when it seems that the situation is hopeless, a new space of opportunities suddenly opens up.
Someone suddenly gets enough sleep for the first time in a long time. Someone receives unexpected support. Someone meets a person who is there for them exactly when they need it most. And sometimes it is not the situation itself that changes, but the perspective on it - and this turns out to be enough to feel the ground under their feet again.
One of the strongest images was the story of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. After the destruction of the reservoir, many expected to see only a catastrophe. But over time, life began to emerge rapidly on the bare land. Where there had recently been water, grasses, trees, and birds appeared. Nature did not deny the tragedy. It simply began to look for new forms of life.
Perhaps, man is also similar to nature in many ways. We do not always recover through our own efforts. Sometimes life itself begins to gather us together again – through people, chance encounters, brief moments of peace, unexpected discoveries or new meanings. Not according to a pre-made plan, but as it becomes possible right now.
And then another important thought arose. Taking care of yourself does not contradict taking care of others. On the contrary: if we want to stay close to our loved ones, support our children, parents, friends, and colleagues, we have to admit a simple truth: an exhausted person cannot be a support for others for long.
We also talked about the future. It is good when society thinks in advance about how to adequately support the elderly. But if there are no ready-made solutions yet, this does not mean powerlessness. Perhaps it is today that ideas for new social projects, new communities, and new ways of taking care of each other are born.
The meeting reminded us of a simple thing again. Even in the most difficult times, life does not disappear. It becomes less predictable. Sometimes it seems chaotic. But it is in this unpredictability that new resources, new connections, and new opportunities suddenly emerge.
Perhaps that is why the most valuable result of our meeting was not advice or recommendations. It was the very space of trust, where everyone could describe what was happening in their own words and feel that they were not alone. And sometimes this is where the return of internal strength begins. (c) Pavlo Lushin
Registration for the next meeting is open