Taliban takeover in Afghanistan takes emotional toll on those who served

3 years ago 348

Taliban fighters basal defender astatine a checkpoint adjacent the US embassy that was antecedently manned by American troops, successful Kabul, Afghanistan, connected Tuesday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Veterans, work members and families: What you are feeling aft watching Afghanistan fall to an force America fought for astir 20 years is normal. And determination is assistance for you to get done it.

The Department of Veterans Affairs wants you to cognize if you are feeling frustrated, sad, helpless oregon betrayed, you are not unsocial successful those feelings and determination are resources close present if you request it.

Many existent and erstwhile members of the subject person expressed a wide scope of emotions – including intelligence wellness symptoms similar PTSD oregon depression.

VA says veterans whitethorn question the meaning of their work oregon whether it was worthy the sacrifices they made. They whitethorn consciousness much motivation distress astir experiences they had during their work and present whitethorn consciousness arsenic if they request to expect oregon hole for the worst.

The experts astatine VA privation you to cognize that feeling distress is simply a mean absorption to antagonistic events, particularly ones that consciousness personal. It tin beryllium adjuvant to fto yourself consciousness those feelings alternatively than effort to debar them. Often, these feelings volition people tally their course.

“We privation each veterans to cognize that we are present to enactment you and to assistance facilitate connecting you with resources wrong VA and extracurricular of VA to guarantee that your healthcare needs are met,” termination prevention supervisor Katherine Eicher told News4Jax. “This includes not lone intelligence wellness but entree to telehealth resources, COVID 19 vaccines, superior and specialty attraction and more.”

If troubling emotions proceed without easing oregon if you consciousness overwhelmed by them, try:

Engaging successful affirmative activities: Try to prosecute successful positive, healthy, oregon meaningful activities, adjacent if they are small, elemental actions. Doing things that are rewarding, meaningful, oregon enjoyable, adjacent if you don’t consciousness similar it, tin marque you consciousness better.
Staying connected: Spend clip with radical who springiness you a consciousness of security, calm, oregon happiness, oregon those who champion recognize what you are going through.
Practicing bully self-care: Look for affirmative coping strategies that assistance you negociate your emotions. Listening to music, exercising, practicing breathing routines, spending clip successful quality oregon with animals, journaling, oregon speechmaking inspirational substance are immoderate elemental ways to assistance negociate overwhelming oregon distressing emotions.
Sticking to your routines. It tin beryllium adjuvant to instrumentality to a docket for erstwhile you sleep, eat, work, and bash different day-to-day activities.
Limiting media exposure: Limit however overmuch quality you instrumentality successful if media sum is expanding your distress.
Using a mobile app: Consider 1 of VA’s self-help apps specified arsenic PTSD Coach, which has tools that tin assistance you woody with communal reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You tin besides way your symptoms implicit time.
PTSD Coach Online: It has a bid of online video coaches who volition usher you done 17 tools to assistance you negociate stress. PTSD Coach Online is utilized connected a computer, alternatively than a mobile device, and truthful tin connection tools that impact writing.

Help is disposable close now

If you oregon a household subordinate oregon person is simply a veteran, a work member, successful the reserve oregon National Guard, determination is assistance each time each time done the Veterans Crisis Line. You tin telephone (800-273-8255 and property 1), substance 838255 oregon chat.

For EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH CARE, you tin besides spell to a VA Medical Center adjacent you -- careless of your discharge presumption oregon enrollment successful different VA wellness care.

Additional resources available

Vet Centers: Discuss however you consciousness with different veterans successful these community-based counseling centers. At slightest 70% of Vet Center unit are veterans. Call 1-877-927-8387. (Jacksonville Vet Center: 3728 Philips Highway, 904-399-8351)
MakeTheConnection.net: You volition find information, resources, and veteran-to-veteran videos for challenging beingness events and experiences with intelligence wellness issues.
RallyPoint: Talk to different veterans online. Discuss topics like: What are your feelings arsenic the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan aft 20 years of U.S. involvement?