How to Support
The Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks established a Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund to provide critical assistance to more than 200,000 Jews in Ukraine. Thank you to those who have already joined this effort. Please support the most vulnerable.
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The emergency campaign dollars will go to American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) to support on-the-ground humanitarian effort.
How to Talk to About Crisis and Cope
The war in Ukraine has triggered strong emotions for many of us. If you are feeling anger, fear, anxiety, depression, or helplessness, you are not alone. For many, it is the first time watching such horrors unfold in their lifetime. For some, these images and videos can be triggers from past trauma.
It is in our physiological nature as human beings to feel some amount of empathy and sorrow for others dealing with a traumatic event. Even though we’re not physically present, we still feel the mental health effects of what’s going on. We may not be able to diminish these emotions, but there are ways to make them more manageable.
How to cope will depend entirely on what works best for you. Below are some suggestions that you may find helpful:
- Limit your time watching/listening to the news. Repeated exposure to this kind of content can be distressing or numbing.
- Relieve some of that anxiety and tension by gently moving your body. This could mean going for a walk, doing some light stretching, taking an online yoga class, or whatever it is that helps you feel good.
- Self-compassion. Ask yourself: What are you feeling, both emotionally and physically? This may include a quick head-to-toe body scan. Try using words to identify and name these feelings, like “I’m feeling helpless, and it feels like there is a pit in my stomach.” Try your best to just witness these feelings rather than talking yourself out of them or trying to change them.
- Coloring can relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind. This generates mindfulness and quietness, which allows your mind to get some rest.
Additional Resources on how to talk about the crisis and cope:
- How to talk to loved ones about Ukraine and other distressing news
- Honesty, reassurance: How to talk to kids about Ukraine
- Talking to children about war
- How to talk to kids about traumatic events
As always, if you feel you are withdrawing from others, or feeling intense emotions that are affecting daily functioning, please reach out to talk to one of our professional staff at JFCS by calling 609-987-8100.
