Strength and mental resilience during a state of emergency
The current situation in Ukraine affects the whole world and all of us are looking for every way to help, live in the moment, deal with difficult feelings and situations, and maintain the most meaningful everyday life possible.
There are many different ways to make yourself feel better and help yourself cope:
1) Give space for all kinds of emotions and thoughts
Each of us reacts to exceptional situations in a different way. Thus it is important to give space and understand both your own and others’ feelings and thoughts. There is no one correct way to experience a situation like this. The feelings that arise may be strong and inconsistent, so try to be gentle with yourself in their midst. It is important to give yourself and others permission to process and talk about worrying things, but it is also good to talk about other things. Remember to take some war-free time.
2) Put effort into everyday routines
Maintaining a normal everyday routine creates a sense of security and predictability. Take care of your eating habits, breaks, recovery and sleep as well as exercise and fun activities. Take time to do things that you enjoy and that bring you joy. Also take care of your physical fitness as well as you can. If you work remotely, stay in contact with your workmates.
3) Focus on what you can affect
It is understandable that we feel insecure, worried and even scared of things that are outside of our control. It may be calming to focus your attention on the things that you can control, whether it is helping those who need it, staying in touch with friends or taking care of yourself at home.
4) Take care of your social life
Take care of your social network and try to maintain your relationships as well as you can, do not isolate completely. If you cannot be around other people physically, stay in contact via phone, video, social media and email.
5) Take also care of your workmates
We are all in this state of emergency together, even if we react to it differently. It is exceptionally important to work together and try to keep the work situation as normal as possible in this new situation. Ask your workmates how they are doing and take breaks together (also over a remote connection).
6) Limit your use of media and pick your sources of information carefully
Perusing media and social media continuously may add to your anxiety, worries and mental burden. Try to limit your media use, and when you do need information, rely on the authorities for information. Especially protect children from the news overflow.
7) Trust human resilience and focus on hope
Latest articles
Digital trends in healthcare 2026: The ability to leverage artificial intelligence comprehensively will become a key success factor
The accelerating development of technology and artificial intelligence doesn’t just mean new innovations in healthcare; it forces us to rethink the entire operating logic of the sector, says Ilari Richardt, Head of Digital Services at Terveystalo.
Healthy Work Life Barometer 2026: Growing workload poses a challenge to the workplace; the solution lies in a sense of community
The Healthy Working Life Barometer 2026* reveals that 48% of business decision-makers consider the Finnish working life to be healthy. This is an encouraging turn for the better, as it represents a 5-percentage-point increase from the previous year. At the same time, the barometer reveals a new normal in the workplace: as many as 80% of respondents feel that the Finnish workplace is more fast-paced and stressful than ever before.
Healthy Work Life Barometer 2026: A positive trend in health, but a growing gap in views on humanity between top management and other employees
The Healthy Working Life Barometer 2026* reveals that 48% of business decision-makers consider the Finnish working life to be healthy. This marks an encouraging shift for the better, as it represents a 5-percentage-point increase from the previous year. Although the overall picture of workplace health has improved, experiences regarding management’s proactiveness and the humanity of everyday work vary, so polarization between roles is on the rise.
Occupational health Therapies at the Forefront – operating model reformed mental health support for staff in Oulu
Mental health and behavioral disorders were a cause for concern in the city of Oulu. Sick leave was on the rise, and the phenomenon was evident not only in statistics but also in the everyday life of work communities. When the Therapies to the Forefront operating model became available for occupational health services, Oulu seized the opportunity. The goal was to build a completely new way of thinking about mental health support and to provide tools for every employee to promote their own well-being and coping. The achievements of the first six months show that the solution was the right one: a 10% decrease in mental health absences is the result of a comprehensive cultural change.
The Finnish debate on sick leave is broken
Misconceptions about sick leave are more persistent than the flu virus. According to leading occupational health physician Anita Riipinen, it is time to correct this misconception.
Terveystalo succeeded in its ambitious goal of reducing mental health-related absences: savings amounted to approximately 100,000 working days and EUR 42 million.
At the beginning of 2025, Terveystalo committed to achieving a significant reduction in mental health-related sick leave among its occupational health customers. Focusing on the prevention of mental health disorders and rapid, effective treatment yielded results that exceeded the target. Mental health-related sick leave fell by 7%, which resulted in a total of approximately 100,000 additional healthy working days and savings of nearly EUR 42 million for occupational health customer companies.