What to do if a war breaks out? How to deal with the war situation?

I went to Sarajevo to work a year after the war was over. I never made it to Serbia, but in Bosnia the devastation was intense and everywhere. I was working with a group of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Serbs and although they trusted each other, nobody trusted them because they were working together. The fear and paranoia were real.

You can meet some survivalists and they can help you build a bug out bag. You can sell doomsday prepper supplies and make a living. War Uncertainty is good for buisness. You can move to Canada. Or USA if Trump doesn’t win In Nov 8th

How to survive war? Well you / your parents can tell better as you have survived one. Kudos to you! Let’s all hope that peace prevails as war is not going to do any good. It hasn’t done till date and won’t do in future as well.

Best way to avoid the direct effects of war as a civilian?

Live in the nation that spends as much on defense as nearly all other world powers combined.

Some of your fellow citizens will bitch out of a sense of smug self righteousness but hey, you’re alive and not even bleeding.

^Nice smug answer as you sit in your non war torn town.

War is terrifying and you have lived through one which most of us haven’t. It is logical that you would be afraid of it; don’t beat yourself up for the feelings. However, as you know, you will be happier if you can live with less fear. It’s possible that you have some form of PTSD or hyper vigilance that might be helped or lessened by some counseling. This doesn’t mean that I think your fears are unrealistic or that you are mentally ill but I don’t think any of us can really help you cope with them. A good therapist could.

@chyna

That’s The Point™

You prove the validity of the first part of my last sentence.

Also, my answer is not just for the benefit of the OP.

It’s really not surprising that you’re fearful of war. You’ve lived with the reality and know that it can happen. For most people living in Western countries, unless they are a member of the armed forces or have family who are, most of us have avoided real life experience of conflict.

Have you thought of seeking some counselling? It is really quite likely you are suffering PTSD. Getting some real help with learning how to manage your fear would be a good step. Perhaps you could also look at volunteering to work with survivors of conflict. This might not be a good plan until you have a good handle on your own anxiety, but in the long term it might help you to find a positive way to manage your fear and to use your experience to help others.

I understand your apprehension about what might happen to you. For 30 years and more in the United States, there was conscription, the draft, which meant that millions of young men were sent overseas in the armed forces, whether or not there a war, whether or not any particular individual had to go to a war zone. That ended in the 1970s, and since that time, the United States has had professional military services. Young Americans haven’t had to worry about being sent to war without their prior knowledge and consent.

Perhaps it would help if you found out exactly what the law is in your country. Find out if you can be conscripted for military service, for how long and what type of service can be required of you. Find out when your obligations begin and end. At the very least, it would help if you know what to expect.

Growing up during the Viet Nam war I have since then imagined war my whole life. I have lived through more conflicts than I can count and have watched all of them on TV and now the internet. I cannot imagine what it is like to live with the death and destruction of war….but again I have imagined it and continue to do so thanks to the media and now our Presidential Candidates. Everyday there is something to learn about terrorists or N Korea now having the capability to hit mainland targets with long range missiles. Supposedly terrorists are pouring over our borders by the busload. Do what I do and turn off the main stream media sources and live your day in peace instead. What happens next is God’s will.

I have been thinking about this question on and off since I read it. And I am ashamed.
Ashamed. Ashamed that my worries are about how to season my grill top or if others use a nasal rinse. Ashamed that I even think I can answer your question. But I will try.
I would stockpile. I’d hoard. I’d have food, water, clothes, (and ammo) packed.
If I were a child I would help my parents and behave flawlessly and with integrity. I would try to be self sufficient and not add more to their load. Take care of everything you can.
I wish you well.

I think you have to compartmentalize. There isn’t a war there now, so do your best to tuck those fears away and live life. Enjoy yourself, and do what you want to do while you can do it.

If your fear is overwhelming, you can seek a therapist, or think about moving to a place you would feel is safer. Moving to a new country is a big step, but many have done it. Your English is obviously very good, so almost anywhere you go in Europe you will be able to communicate, even if you have to learn a new language eventually.

Many countries have lists online of skills they need, and if you fit a category you can get a work visa. Nurses and engineers are two categories that pop up on many lists, but there are many more.

You might not want to leave your home though. That’s very understandable, I think most people don’t. Then you have to focus on your life, your here and now, and your plans for the future. You can’t control the rest. It’s feeling out of control that is so difficult, it’s very anxiety producing.

I think it depends on circumstances. If it’s on our soil, what kind of protection is available? Are there bombings in my area? Questions like that are what my anxiety would be based upon.

Right now, I have bigger issues in my life but if there were a war on our soil, that would trump all.

My son goes to school with a Syrian boy. They moved here last year. He’s a sweet kid, but he is struggling with things. He’s never gone to a regular school. He smiles. A lot. I think he and his family know they are lucky. I can’t even imagine what it would be like.

My son’s grandparents were here when the Nazis invaded. I see the ugly concrete buildings they built, but I can only listen to the stories and imagine what it was like. Food was an issue. So, if I thought war was coming, I would prepare a garden and chickens and pigs, like what they did here. No one was allowed a radio. Her parents constantly told her not to talk to anyone. They were school teachers and she was just a young girl. One of her older brothers was put in a prisoner of war camp for trying to escape to Sweden. He never recovered his health. The oldest brother made it to Sweden and worked from there. My son’s grandfather lived much farther north and was in his early teens and when it was time for him to be picked up and made to serve in the Nazi youth, he took off on a pair of skis and lived with the migrant Sami and they never caught up to him. When the Nazis burned everything, the only food that remained were cans of sauerkraut that had been stacked up, so the fire didn’t get to the ones in the middle part of the stack. They had to eat that until the Russians got to them with supplies. When the war was over and it was time to go back to school, Torkild became an engineer so that he could help rebuild the country. And he did. He also became a professor and taught generations of engineers. Nanna became a teacher, like her parents, and learned several languages so she could understand people better. I think both of their ways of coping were very good. They didn’t live in fear of it happening again. They prepared themselves for a future where they could use their experience to help others.

“Paranoia strikes deep.” Chicken Little feared that the sky was falling but how realistic was the fear? One must leave the intricacies of fate to fate, and live for the time being in what is, not in what might .