Green-clad Home Guard soldiers with rifles stand guard around a number of land plants. Defense fighter jets patrol the Norwegian coast. Recently, defense experts said that the Norwegian gas supply is probably the biggest sabotage target in Norway. The war in Ukraine dominates the news, and many are worried about what will happen next. Thea Stensønes (16) is one of them. She says it’s heavy. – You become extremely afraid that it will come to Norway, and that you will have to experience and see a lot of death and that your country will be destroyed, says the 16-year-old. She is in her first year at Ålesund upper secondary school and says the war is a topic of conversation among young people. – Can you sleep? – Yes, I can sleep, but I’m uncomfortable, you think about it every now and then when you go to bed, she says. THE DEBATE: Has Norway been too naive in the meeting with Putin? I think it’s worse for those who struggle from before A survey published this summer shows that depression and anxiety among young people in Norway has doubled in the last ten years. The young girls struggle the most, and almost half of teenage girls in Norway say they are stressed and have heavy thoughts. At present, no one knows for sure how the war in Europe affects the young. Second-year student Sunniva Botn Kjølstad (17) at Ålesund upper secondary school believes that those who struggle mentally have it even worse now. – Of course, having a fear of what happens in life at the same time as having a hard time yourself can make people less stable, she says. Sunniva Botn Kjølstad does not believe gloomy news about the war doing any good for people who have been struggling since before. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Asking people to protect themselves Psychologist Geir Fjelnset says he meets many people, both at work and privately, who are worried about the war. He advises people to protect themselves. He himself only reads the newspaper Sunnmørsposten and says he avoids news about Ukraine and Russia. – I’m not interested in walking around with that stimulus in my head. I don’t want to be frightened or think about things that are completely meaningless, that I can’t do anything about, says the psychologist. He advises others who are worried to focus on other things. Psychologist Geir Fjelnset believes it is important to shield oneself from news about Ukraine. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The psychologist’s advice to adults in conversation with children and young people Here is psychologist Geir Fjellnset’s advice to parents who want to help worried children: Listen to the child/young person, show and acknowledge that they experience the situation as difficult. Ask questions, investigate what triggered the fear. Avoid adding fuel to the fire by exaggerating the situation, stay on the child’s level. Customize the information. Know yourself, be sure that you are the right person to take the call. If you yourself are terrified, you are not the best at calming others down. Mankind Putin and the Russians. Putin also has children and grandchildren and people he cares about, for whom he does not wish to destroy. The Russian soldiers may also be afraid of the war. Action is often anxiety-reducing. Talk about whether there is something the child can do practically, for example sending money to Ukraine. End the conversation properly, try to be warm and present. Agree to talk about the topic again. Limit the reading of news, avoid reports that are only intended to scare. Became accustomed to the war Emma Brørs (17) watches the Dagsrevyen together with her mother every evening. She says she can no longer take in what she sees and hears and that she is no longer as afraid. – It was much worse before when it was a new thing and there was a lot of uncertainty. Now we’ve gotten so used to it, it’s almost a bit silly to say. At the same time, it is a bit strange that one should fear a third world war, says Brørs. – What do you think that you have become used to a war? – It is very strange. Emma Brørs watches the Dagsrevyen with her mother to keep up to date. She is not always able to take in what she sees. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Hope for peace in Ukraine Next week, World Mental Health Day will be organized all over the world. The girls at Ålesund high school are part of the student council, and aim to give their schoolmates a respite from war and misery. They will do this by playing calm music and serving juice and cocoa in one of the classrooms at the school. Thea Stensønes hopes that there will soon be peace in Ukraine. – I think they should stop. Poor Ukraine. It is unnecessary to start wars now, we are done with that kind of thing. I don’t understand why we have a war, she says in frustration.
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Thea (16) is afraid that World War 3 is just around the corner
