Dear Friends,
This week we would like to spotlight a photo from the World Happiness Summit— thank you Teresa Burns! We agree with Teresa— we met so many amazing people and wonderful speakers. We have so much exciting news to share with our SeeingHappy community and will do so in the coming weeks and months.
Attending WOHASU made me feel so good inside. I met so many amazing people and wonderful speakers.
We also want to let you know about a special gallery in Warsaw, Galleria Czwartek, which is exhibiting and selling photographs from Ukrainian photographers. All proceeds will go to the Ministry of Health Ukraine and the Red Cross:
The theme of the exhibition is: How to react to war? How to cope with fear? How to survive uncertainty?
We asked Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, an expert on post-traumatic growth following adversity at Wake Forest University, for his opinion. He has worked with populations in Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and various areas in the USA. This is what he said in response to the above questions:
How to react to war? “Focus on what you can control, both in your environment and your mind. Accept the fear and uncertainty, but reflect on them-- do not react to them. Hold true to your values, and have them determine your actions. Remember that you are on the side of justice”. How to cope with fear? “Fear is a completely normal reaction to uncertainty. Accept it and understand that experiencing it makes you human, not a coward. By accepting fear as a normal reaction, you can then find the space to identify what is within your power to do, and then act on it”. How to survive uncertainty? “There is so much uncertainty in war, and it can be overwhelming. Frankl wrote that thinking about what is within your control each day, whether in your environment or your mind, and acting on what is within your control, is one key strategy for managing uncertainty”.
Thank you Dr. Jayawickreme – this is insightful advice for anyone going through trauma. We will be sharing his wisdom with the gallery.
The SeeingHappy Team
