First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the event dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Month "Understanding. Values and Stories of Resilience."
The President's wife noted that Ukrainian resilience has already become a phenomenon in the world. However, it needs to be taken care of. According to the Ministry of Health, 77% of Ukrainians are currently experiencing symptoms of stress and severe nervousness. The most common emotions are fatigue (46%) and tension (44%).
All of these indicators testify to the extensive traumatic experience that is already affecting the physical health of Ukrainians. According to the National Health Service of Ukraine, the number of patients with diabetes has increased by more than 20%, heart attacks by more than 16%, and strokes by more than 10%.
"Resilience cannot be injected like a vaccine or given to everyone like a pill. But the good news is (according to experts) that resilience can be developed. It can be maintained, "upgraded." It can be trained. Of course, if a person wants to. Because resilience is also about choice," Olena Zelenska said.
The First Lady reminded that the country has a mental health program called "How Are You?" to support social resilience. It is designed to provide psychological assistance and spread knowledge about it in society.
During the first panel, "Values of Resilience," the search for the roots of Ukrainian resilience and its understanding in different dimensions of the past and present were discussed by well-known researchers and activists Andriy Zelinsky, Natalia Kryvda, and Yevhen Hlibovytsky.
As part of the event, Olena Zelenska also moderated a panel called "Stories of Resilience" dedicated to the personal resilience of Ukrainians. The panel featured Aliona Akhkozova, a psychologist at the State Emergency Service in the Zaporizhzhia region, Natalia Vaniukhina, an emergency medicine feldsher from the Dnipropetrovsk region, Olena Vlezko, a teacher who conducts remote lessons from the basement of a house in the Sumy region, and Olena Khmelnytska, the director of the Rubizhne Center for Local History.
"This is the first time I have moderated a panel on resilience with these extraordinary guests. I would like to point out that each story is not about "iron men" at all. Quite the contrary – it's about how non-iron people who understand themselves and others don't let circumstances break them. Together, we developed a formula for resilience. Its components are mutual assistance, interaction, a favorite job that benefits others, and love for your neighbors. I really want these stories to inspire those who lack this," the First Lady summarized.
The event was organized by the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as part of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program "How Are You?" (supported by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of the project "Building a Resilient Public Health System"). The event was also attended by RMA Heads, public and cultural figures, scientists, and psychologists.