Coming Back to Oneself: IOM Helps Ivankiv Residents Rebuild Their Inner Strength

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day. This year, its topic will be mental health at work. It is essential to recognize that mental well-being is crucial in all areas of life. Amid daunting challenges during the ongoing war in Ukraine, stress and anxiety can overwhelm people, making it harder to carry on with daily tasks. Supporting mental health is vital for maintaining resilience, whether at work, at home, or in the community. Providing opportunities for emotional release, relaxation, and self-care empowers individuals to manage their challenges, rediscover their inner strength, and maintain a sense of balance and purpose. 

"I was most worried about my sons' lives. We constantly heard explosions, saw fires, military planes flew overhead almost daily. Once, when my children and I decided to visit a friend, Russian military started shooting the ground under our feet," recalls Lina, a community activist, composer, and mother of two from the town of Ivankiv, Kyiv region. 

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the town was under Russian control for 36 days. During this time, 49 people were killed here. 

"Throughout it all, I tried to stay strong and support everyone. I focused on protecting my children's mental health, but there was no one to support me. It took me a year to recover even a little." 

Lina has many responsibilities and daily engagements, constantly thinking of her multiple tasks. She coordinates the local civil society organization “Youth of Ivankiv,” which engages young people in cultural and creative development activities. Recently, she also started a full-time job with one of the ministries. Her work, which is very important to Lina, has also come with an overwhelming sense of responsibility which has been weighing on her. Over the past months, Lina has been managing organizational duties, worrying about her own children, the youth she works with, her mother who has been diagnosed with a serious illness. On top of these challenges, she also had the experience of the city's blockade in 2022, leaving her feeling constantly depressed and anxious. 

To help managing all these different emotional stressors, Lina joined psychosocial support activities that IOM launched as part of its comprehensive support to the town. 

"Something shifted in me. I began to express myself differently. While these changes may not be obvious from the outside, on the inside, I feel completely transformed. The freedom to voice my opinion and express my emotions, which I often suppressed, now feels natural," Lina shares, reflecting on her personal growth after participating in psychosocial support activities. 

One activity that particularly resonated with Lina involved participants imagining themselves as different creatures, allowing them to release and experience frozen emotions freely. Lina shared that she also found the breathing exercises effective in reducing stress and anxiety. 

"Every session felt like a retreat to me," Lina says. "The exercises helped us reconnect with ourselves."  

By viewing herself from a completely new perspective and allowing herself the freedom to express her true emotions, Lina began to schedule her time and attention to different things more confidently, which also helped her gain a deeper understanding of herself. "You reset something inside yourself," she adds.

During war times, it’s easy to lose the inner strength needed to face overwhelming challenges such as displacement, loss of home, adjusting to a new job, or integrating into a new community. These and many other factors create ongoing stress for both adults and children. In response, IOM implements psychosocial support programmes across various regions in Ukraine. IOM is dedicated to reducing the stigma around mental health and ensuring that support reaches everyone in need. With financial backing from partners, IOM organizes community and family support sessions, which often include art activities, acting classes, photography courses, outdoor yoga, and psychosocial support sessions to develop soft skills and resilience. These diverse activities help people manage daily stress, reconnect with themselves and loved ones, find inner peace, enhance their quality of life, and build new friendships and social bonds.