Peta Murgatroyd Details How Husband Maks Chmerkovskiy's Return to Poland Is Affecting Her

"It took him two weeks to let go of some of the anxiety. It hit him hard," Peta Murgatroyd said of her husband Maks Chmerkovskiy after he returned to the U.S. earlier this month

Photo: petamurgatroyd/Instagram

Peta Murgatroyd is opening up about her husband Maks Chmerkovskiy's return to Poland to help Ukrainians in need.

During a Q&A session on her Instagram Story Tuesday, the 35-year-old Dancing with the Stars alum shared how she felt about her husband's decision to return to Europe amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

"I feel ok. However there are so many 'things' going on," Murgatroyd wrote in response to a fan's question about how she felt about Chmerkovskiy going back to Poland. "At first I was nervous and unsure, and didn't want him to leave again. But I know he made the right decision."

The mother of one added, "There wasn't a way that he could stay and watch. I'm just proud. I have my anxious days though!"

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Earlier this month, Chmerkovskiy returned to the United States from Ukraine. The couple was photographed embracing each other at Los Angeles International Airport. Soon after, he expressed his desire to return to Eastern Europe to provide support.

"I spent the last couple of days with survivor's remorse, and I'm currently working on an opportunity to go back," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a previous interview. "Probably sometime next week I'm going to go back to Poland and join efforts on the ground. Sort of want to justify my safe out that way."

During the chat with her followers, Murgatroyd shared that Chmerkovskiy "wasn't in a good place when he first arrived home."

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"It took him two weeks to let go of some of the anxiety," she explained after a follower asked her about her husband's mental health. "It hit him hard. He still has it. I think the experience is life changing."

"However seeing his family and being with Shai definitely helped him to decompress, be in the moment and put the phone down," she said of their 5-year-old son Shai.

Asked about how she has been coping, Murgatroyd wrote: "Prayer. Focusing on Shai. Focusing on keeping Maks calm and in a place where he is still actively working on helping people but also spending time with family. Finding the balance. Breathing. Meditating. Talking it out to friends and family. Having gratitude for what we have here in US. We are so blessed."

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She also talked about how she did not disclose any information about the recent events in Ukraine to their son Shai.

"I want to keep it that way until he's old enough to understand," she explained. "I don't see the point in putting worry into his little mind. I also don't want him seeing these images and for them to have a lasting impression. He's too young."

Though she is still unsure when her husband will return home, she said she knows Chmerkovskiy is "doing great things over there."

"I'm so proud of what he is doing," she added. "Of course, I miss him, and want him home with me, but the Ukrainian people need his help more!"

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Millions of Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.