ETV's new TV show "Psühho" discussed the impact of the war and how to manage concerns resulting from it.

"My bags aren't packed, but I know several professionals who have theirs ready," said crisis and psychological counselor Tiina Naarits-Linn. "Maybe that's what gives them peace of mind — that their suitcase is packed, their destination is known and they can just go about their daily work."

According to Naarits-Linn, the news today lacks balance. "It's overwhelmingly focused on war. There's no reassurance that says, 'Live for today, because today everything is fine.' We're told to be prepared, but that doesn't mean you stop living your life. What you're afraid of might never even happen."

"It feels like we're in a state of permanent crisis. The war in Ukraine just added another layer to everything that was already making us anxious," said journalist and historian Andrei Hvostov. "The climate crisis, fear of artificial intelligence, fear of a global pandemic — what haven't we feared in the 21st century?"

Hvostov referenced the saying that people are divided into two kinds: those with short memories and those with no memory at all. "Unfortunately, someone with a historian's education has a very long memory. History is a series of events that were thought impossible — right up until they happened."

Hvostov admitted that he's been too optimistic in analyzing Estonian society. "Now it turns out that even middle-aged people are snowflakes — very fragile and quick to lose their mental balance."

In times of major crisis, good and bad tend to blur together, said Naarits-Linn. "In crisis, people become black-and-white thinkers searching for what's right and wrong, only to run into the problem that there is no clear right or wrong. They especially start to align themselves with those who reflect their black-and-white worldview, and that's how sides form. That's something we don't want in our society," she explained. "This is closely tied to fear-based behavior because fear feeds on a lack of information. It's accompanied by a sense of losing control over the things that matter most to you."

When it comes to fear of war, a key factor is who was traumatized, Naarits-Linn noted. "All modern neuroscience research shows that up to 10 percent of people may suffer severe trauma and exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing a shock."

What matters most, Naarits-Linn added, is not the trauma itself but whether a person had emotional support from those close to them. "The absence of that support can be more devastating than the trauma. Those who already had a strong sense of emotional closeness before the war cope better — they don't see the world in terms of right or wrong; they have their own world. But for those who were alone, their world is black and white," she said.

There must be authorities, and we do have them. "My family doctor is undoubtedly an authority to me. My partner, who is a teacher, is an authority to me when it comes to education. When I'm at a volunteer defense training exercise, the instructor is an authority," Hvostov noted. "But in journalism, literature and politics — I have no authorities."

Musician Kadri Voorand pointed out that when it comes to fear, generational differences matter. "The older the generation, the more they tend to hide their fear. Each successive generation brings it more openly to the table. I'd speak very specifically about what I'm afraid of. The best way to reduce fear is by understanding it. It's like going into a basement without knowing where the light switch is. But if you know what's behind every shelf of jam jars, you've made sense of the space, you can always find the switch by feel and the fear immediately lessens."

Voorand said it's crucial to be conscious of what exactly might happen in that metaphorical basement.

"In the scariest moments, what helps is taking action or, if that's not possible, looking inward at the world within yourself that no one can take away," said Voorand. "No matter where I am in the world, if I touch a piano key with my finger, I can go right back home."

In difficult moments, nature helps Voorand, especially tall, ancient trees.

Artist Flo Kasearu has drawn her fears on paper. "I think humor and irony are a very important part of art. If I have a worry — say, that lightning might strike my house — I draw it. That's like talking to a psychologist and sharing your fear. I share mine with paper and then with the people who see my work," explained Kasearu who runs a museum in her name. "I've also drawn the fears of a museum director, a small shop owner and an animal shelter worker."

"Drawing your fears is one way to cope with them. In psychology, they say: name your fear and it doesn't seem so big anymore," said consumer psychologist Ivar Soone.

"People cope with war in very different ways. Some are escapists who dive into pleasures, believing there's no tomorrow. Others are fatalists who think they can't do anything and turn to things like alcohol. It all comes down to the meaning a person gives their life. Some are pragmatists and some are opportunists," Soone added.

"Family and loved ones are the ones who give life its essential sense of security," Kasearu said.

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