Summary

War destroys our wellbeing. We can take steps to support our wellbeing. We can take actions to oppose war. Call your elected officials and condemn the war on Venezuela and all wars. Reach out to neighbours and build community. We can build resilience and support each other. Optimism, hope, and gratitude will counter the adverse effects of those who pursue war.

War Destroys Our Wellbeing

I wanted to start the year with positivity, optimism, and gratitude. Then the Trump (henceforth referred to as the child that he is, Donald) Administration flooded our senses with images of destruction, imperialism, and misogyny. So, I am going to start my 2026 blog posts with positivity, optimism, and gratitude. We are going to discuss how war destroys our wellbeing and how we are going to respond with positivity, optimism, and gratitude.

War impacts our wellbeing. I use a stronger word, “destroys”, because war has long-term effects on the individual and has transgenerational effects on the community. War destroys our wellbeing.

Let’s explore how war destroys our wellbeing and the choice we have to remain positive, optimistic, and grateful in the face of acts of war.

Why Do I Say ‘War’?

Good question.

While Donald and his Cabinet claim that the attack on the capital of Venezuela was an attack on President Maduro, that is entirely disingenuous. It was an attack on the people of Venezuela, many of whom died as a result of the air strikes on Caracas. Donald and his Cabinet attacked the sovereignty of Venezuela. President Maduro was a dictator who maintained his power as a result of fixed elections: that is also true of Putin. Donald and his Cabinet have asserted their goal to rape Venezuela of its natural resources like oil and steel. There is no plan for transitioning Venezuela to a democratically elected leader: Donald and his Cabinet have launched a war on Venezuela which threatens its existence as a sovereign nation.

This is why I employ the term ‘war’.

And, it is a war which the American people do not want. This war serves only Donald and his billionaire friends. There is no need to read between the lines. Donald and Lutnick and Hegseth have telegraphed it: take the oil and other resources from Venezuela. Donald actually believes the oil in Venezuela belongs to the USA, more accurately to the oil company magnates who are friends of Donald.

This is a war of the billionaires against the poor and middle class, just like the war waged by Donald and his friends on the American people. This is WAR.

War Intersects with Wellbeing

In a previous post, I discuss how the Donald’s Administration meets all of the criteria for a domestic terrorist organization, in my opinion. The Donald’s Administration is terrorizing the people of the USA, in my opinion. Now, they have exported that terror not just to Gaza and Ukraine where Trump sides with his war criminal buddies, Netanyahu and Putin. They have exported the terror to Venezuela and Iran and are threatening Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, and Canada.

Terrorism adversely affects the wellbeing of the community. I have discussed that in a previous post. War also negatively impacts the wellbeing of communities.

Studies indicate how conflict in war zones engenders an increase in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, even amongst our youth. Armed conflict leads to transgenerational effects on mental wellbeing. Physical injuries incurred during conflict in war zones erode the physical autonomy of individuals affecting how they can and will contribute to society and assaults their sense of agency.

Mental health symptoms are linked to effects on fetal development. Again, the adverse effects of the symptoms of the parents and siblings and grandparents extend beyond the individual in question. There are hormonal and neurochemical changes and behavioural adaptations which affect the developing child, the developing fetus, and the extended family, thus affecting future generations.

War has lingering effects on a family, a community, a nation, and our world. Clearly, mental health symptoms create challenges for families, communities, nations, and our world. There are other variables responsible for affecting our wellbeing, delineated cogently by the 12 D Framework (Jayasinghe, 2024). Destruction of social infrastructure, displacement of people, disruption of the economy and social fabric, destruction of the environment, depletion of natural resources, and regression of the developmental status of a community are amongst the determinants impacting the wellbeing of people.

Donald, you are responsible for endangering all of US at home and for harming people abroad. You cannot wiggle out of the reality based in science and in data, try as you may. Truth is in the eating of the pudding.

What We Can Do: War and Our Wellbeing

Early interventions have been identified to help our children grow up despite the adverse effects of living in war zones or being raised by family members who experienced the ravages of armed conflict. A robust mental health treatment system is a significant determinant in the delivery of these early interventions. That means funding is required for higher education programmes preparing health care professionals to deliver the services. That means funding is required to finance the mental health treatment services. That means funding is necessary for health insurance access for those in need of the mental health services.

We must engage in the democratic process and contact our elected officials, advocating for the need to restore funding to services for the People of the USA and to stop the favours to the oligarch friends of Donald. As Donald and his cronies destroy the education system, the health care services system, and the access to health insurance coverage in the USA, our ability to treat our own people subjected to the terror of the Donald’s Administration is compromised.

We can build community. We must build community. One variable identified across studies which fosters wellbeing is social support. Social connectedness promotes the development of resilience. So, let’s remain connected.

We must demand of our leaders that they legislate for the accountability by those who initiated the wars. Contact your elected officials. Tell them that man-made disasters warrant man-made solutions including exacting consequences on those who created the disasters. Remind them of the Nuremberg Trials and that this time we cannot allow perpetrators to be granted new identities and permission to flee to other countries, as occurred after World War II.

Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121

Take Action to Stop Destruction of War: War Destroys Our Wellbeing

I believe that we have agency. We have power to effect change, though it be on a microscopic level. That is not insignificant, in my opinion.

Build your social connections within your community.
Reach out to people whose political views are different than yours and find commonalities.
Advocate for yourself and for other people. By stretching the muscle of social connectedness beyond differences, you will gain wealth by embracing new perspectives.
Stand up and speak out against war.
Work to create support networks and mental health infrastructure in your municipality, your state, the nation. Translation: attend local meetings; contact your elected officials; become a mental health clinician.
Take care of your emotional needs and spiritual wellbeing to be the best you can for you and for the community.
Develop a sleep routine and stick to it.
Eat healthy foods. Go to the local food pantry and ask for help if you cannot afford food.
Exercise to the extent that you physically can. Exercise promotes brain health by generating endorphins and enkephalins for mental wellbeing and by contributing to your cognitive (thinking) health.
Be grateful and share that gratitude. Thank a neighbour for smiling. Thank a family member for taking your telephone call. Thank a cashier at the store for being available to process your order. It doesn’t take much to find a reason to be grateful.
Hold the hope for our collective future. Our optimism will fuel our success as a community, as a nation, and as a world. No one can extinguish our hope unless we grant them that power.
Surround yourself with music because it is a powerful antidote to hatred and a unifying tool for humanity.

Happy 2026! Here’s to a year infused with hope, positivity, and gratitude.

Peace to Our World.

Please give generously to your local food pantries. Your neighbours will thank you.

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your healthcare professional team.

If you are thinking of hurting yourself or of hurting someone else, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; or GO TO the nearest emergency room.

Selected References:

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Nota Bene:

USA Government websites are being purged by the current Trump Administration to align the website content with the regime’s political agenda. Please note that any government website cited in this and other posts on this website may no longer contain evidence based or historically correct information. Thus, I am trying to avoid including any references or resources which derive from a USA government website. This is not bias; I take this action in an effort to maintain a factually sound content in my posts.