At Basmeh & Zeitooneh’s Center in Shatila Camp, the Protection Team continues its efforts to support and empower women through awareness and psychosocial support sessions that address various life and social topics. These sessions aim to enhance women’s awareness and open new horizons for them to deal with problems and daily pressures in effective and balanced ways, ensuring that information is accessible to everyone equally and inclusively.
A Session Titled “What Can We Do When We Feel Sad?”
As part of the series of sessions offered by the Protection Department through its Psychosocial Support Program, a session was held for young married girls aged 15 to 19, titled: “What Can We Do When We Feel Sad?”.
The session aimed to help participants understand the symptoms of stress and learn techniques to manage and deal with it. This topic holds particular importance given the widespread exposure to stress caused by harsh living conditions, in addition to the anxiety and fear brought on by the sounds of war.
According to Dareen, a mentor in the Protection Department, when she asked the participants what causes them to feel stressed, one woman answered: “The sound of planes flying over my head makes me nervous”, another said: “I can’t find schools to register my children”, and a third participant added: “We live in an unsafe and unstable environment”.
After identifying the challenges the women face, the concept of stress was defined, and its causes and symptoms were clearly explained, such as a rapid heartbeat, trembling, stuttering, fear, oversleeping, and fatigue. This helped the participants recognize these signs and learn how to respond to them rather than ignoring or fearing them.
The women received several practical tips to help them reduce and manage stress, such as practicing regular physical exercise, using proper breathing techniques, ensuring sufficient oxygen intake through controlled inhaling and exhaling, seeking out places that bring comfort and peace of mind, reaching out to trusted people such as family members or close friends, laughing, engaging in recreational activities, and focusing on the positive aspects of their lives.
At the end of the session, a discussion took place between the mentor and the participants about things that bring them happiness, shedding light on them. Dareen explained: “When the participants recalled things that make them happy and that they already have, like family, children, parents, and home.. they recognized their value. These reflections helped them reconnect with positive feelings in their lives and find motivation to keep going”.
Voices from the Participants
One young mother who attended the session shared her experience, saying: “I’ve gone through stressful periods, and it means a lot to me to learn positive techniques that I can apply and benefit from”, she added enthusiastically: “The session was excellent, the interaction was high, and I benefited a lot from the positive atmosphere”, she explained that in the past, whenever she felt stressed, she would immediately think in a very pessimistic way, but now she looks for positive aspects and strives to find healthy solutions to her problems.
Another woman shared her experience with a warm smile: “The session was lovely, useful, and relaxing. I’ve gained more information and discovered more about myself. I’m seeing things I hadn’t noticed before, and I’m meeting new people”. Speaking about stress, she said: “It really matters to me, I get stressed a lot, and I have a nervous personality”, she continued happily: “I learned how to protect myself from stress and how to avoid the things that cause it”, She concluded by saying: “Everything in the session was clear, and all the women participated actively. I’ll share what I’ve learned with the people around me and encourage them to think positively”.
Toward Greater Awareness and Sustainable Empowerment
These sessions are part of Basmeh & Zeitooneh’s ongoing efforts to promote mental health and social awareness among women and girls. By creating safe and supportive spaces, Shatila Center enables participants to express their emotions freely and acquire essential life skills that help them build psychological and personal balance amid the difficult circumstances they face.
Written by: Ibrahim Al-Housseiny
