Due to the aggression of the Russian Federation and military actions on the territory of Ukraine, the number of extreme situations and general distress among the population of our country has increased. Therefore, the issue of psychological assistance and self-help is particularly relevant.

It is important to allow yourself to live a normal life when you are in relative safety. To normalize the psyche you need a feeling that you can control at least some part of your everyday life. Do not give up your usual activities and daily rituals, take care of yourself and your loved ones.

It is important to make your stress expert. And it becomes such when you understand how to deal with it and function further. You have to learn to control yourself in stressful situations to be a support for yourself and your family.

We offer simple psychological techniques that are effective in such situations.

So, we restore the psychophysical state using the technique "4 elements"

And the element. Air

We normalize breathing with the help of the exercise "Candle-flower": blow out an imaginary candle (long exhale), and inhale the aroma of an imaginary flower.  At least 8 repetitions.

You can also use other breathing exercises: "Breathing in a square", "Breathing 4*8 or 3*6", etc.

II element. Water

Drink a glass of water in small sips (you can count 8 sips), or at least moisten your mouth if there is not enough water nearby.

III element. Earth

In a crisis situation or in an anxious state you need to "ground"

Use the exercise of your choice or all in turn:

1. Roll from toes to heel to massage the heel (at least 8 times).

2. "Australian rain": the wind starts - rub your palms. It is raining - snap your fingers. The rain increases - cross your arms over your chest and tap your shoulders (butterfly). It is raining - slap yourself on the thighs. Repeat several times.

3. "Robot - spaghetti". Tense your whole body like a robot. Count to 8 and relax your body, imagining yourself like spaghetti. Do this several times.

You can do other exercises that help to "turn on" the body.

IV element. Fire.

It is about awareness and activation of the cerebral cortex.

1. Find with your eyes 6 colors that you see right now, 5 smallest objects and 5 largest, and 5 objects of different textures. This technique helps to overcome the tunnel vision syndrome that occurs under severe stress.

2. Count from 20 to 0 out loud. When counting backward, the frontal lobes of the brain are activated.

3. Answer the questions "Who am I?" (5 nouns), "What am I like?" (5 adjectives), and "What am I doing (can I do?)" (5 verbs). When counting, you can bend your fingers.

These recommendations are suitable for both adults and children.