Reflecting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

JustV

What a crazy world we're living in. As if one global crisis wasn't enough, eh?

I wanted to create this space for us to sit with the news of the invasion and process anything it might be bringing up for us emotionally. It's not an easy thing to process.

Personally, it feels like I'm used to wars feeling quite distant and only hearing about them on the news. Now, we're seeing Ukranians posting on Reddit and different forms of social media with first hand accounts of the invasion and live footage of what's happening. It all feels pretty close to home.

What has your experience of this been so far? How are you holding up? 💚

JustV

Also, if you're feeling anxious about what you're seeing, you can check out The Mix's article the news is making me feel anxious: https://www.themix.org.uk/mental-health/looking-after-yourself/the-news-is-making-me-feel-anxious-45226.html

Brookee

@Mike This is such a lovely thing to do, holding space for everyone. I feel similarly to you, usually I feel quite distant but I'm feeling quite angry and frustrated with our government and the lack of support we're sending out to help Ukrainians during this time. I feel like we could be doing more, and it's just causing me a lot of inner turmoil at the moment.

JustV

Thank you for sharing that @Brookee - I totally hear you. I know I get more frustrated thinking about the political factors and the precariousness of it all. It sucks that the only way we seem to be supporting Ukraine is via economic sanctions and it does feel a bit lackluster.

Is there anything you'd like to see the UK (or the west as a whole) doing?

Lucy307

Thanks for starting this thread Mike, I think it’s really important. Personally I’m feeling really torn about whether to follow it on the news or not. One minute I feel like I have a duty to follow it and not be ignorant of the situation, but the other it upsets me so much that I just want to switch it off and try to forget about it. Prime example this morning when they showed a picture of a little girl who had been killed, I couldn’t bare to watch and had a lump in my throat. But then switch off the tv and feel guilt for being blind to it. It’s really difficult to know what to do right now isn’t it. I feel helpless with it all. Sending hugs to you all 💜💜

Brookee

Thank you for making this thread, I feel like it's been a really good outlet to vent about how everyone feels about this @Mike. I understand where you're coming from completely, I feel like we should be just helping more, we'd expect more from our allies if it were happening to us, but we seem to just half arse giving support to other countries. Our visa situation really upset me as well, I felt really angry at the Home Secretary for expecting people who are fleeing Ukraine to have a visa in place. We could be doing so much more, we're one of the wealthiest countries in the world and honestly seem to be doing less than the bare minimum. As much as the sanctions are a start, I don't feel like they're going to impact Putin as much as we think. I don't know, it just feels really upsetting and I personally feel like I should be doing more, even though there's nothing I as an individual party can do other than donate.

Emma_

Really hear you on this @Brookee

It's feels awful that all we can do is sit and watch people's lives be torn apart. I personally have really struggled with the helplessness of it all. It's pretty disappointing to see our government not helping in the way maybe we would as individuals if we could.

I have found some things online though about helping in other ways that don't include donating:

• Sharing only coreect information
• Helping to share the voices of those in Ukraine
• Support independent journalism in Ukraine to help get their stories and voices shared
• Reach out to your local community groups or churches to see if anyone needs help sorting or arranging donations ect

I know it doesn't feel like much and we're still having to sit in this big hole of helplessness but hopefully it's something

Ed_

Adding to @Emma_'s

• Email your MP and ask them to advocate for additional support for refugees - make sure you include your address in your email as otherwise they don't have to reply.
• Go through your wardrobe and find clothes you no longer use and donate them to places collecting for Ukraine. Look for warm clothes in particular.
• Reach out to local refugee charities, often lots of small things you can do to help them through volunteering. Showing kindness to people arriving in a new country is one of the most helpful things you can do.

Brookee

@Emma_ @Ed_

Thanks both. I'm definitely trying to do all I can right now to support people in Ukraine, luckily my MP is incredible and has been one of the loudest voices to insist on extra help, so that's really great and made me a feel a little better. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Durhamjaide

I’m going to a fundraising event tomorrow

JustV

Durhamjaide wrote: »

I’m going to a fundraising event tomorrow

Nice @Durhamjaide! Good for you. How did it go?

Durhamjaide

Good we raised £508.95 for them

Ed_

That's amazing! What kind of things did you do at the fundraising event?