To be perfectly honest, I have never had to cope with the stressors of war, poverty, racism, natural disaster, isolation, hunger, noise, chaos, disease, environmental pollution, or violence as a young child. And for that I am very thankful!
I know my grandparents grew up during the Great Depression and poverty affected many families. They never bought many things. Living on a farm during the Great Depression afforded my grandmother’s family food but not luxuries such as new clothes and toys. My grandmother always shares stories of how they made their dresses out of old feed sacks and their doll babies were made out of corn husks. My grandmother never throws anything away like old butter containers either. She always says “you’ll never know when you’ll need it.” She also never tosses food in the trash. If she can’t make it into some kind of new leftover then it’ll be used in the compost pile or for dog food.
Stress of War in USA
I believe the effects of our ongoing war are a stressor on many families in our country that have seen family members deployed several times over the past ten years. The Mental Health America (MHA) has created a program called Operation Happy Reunions that aims to educate and help soldiers and their families receive the high-quality care they need in all health aspects (2010). There website (http://www.nmha.org/reunions/resources.cfm) offers links to many other organizations to help military families deal with the stress of war. MHA recommends that families do the following to help reduce stress:
1. Talk about it.
2. Take care of your physical health.
3. Limit your exposure to the news media.
4. Engage in activities that are enjoyable and relaxing.
5. Do something positive like volunteering.
6. Don’t be afraid to seek treatment.
For more information regarding these tips, visit http://www.nmha.org/reunions/infoWarStress.cfm
I also have family members that grew up during the depression, and they do the same things. They don't throw away used containers, always have leftovers, making up new and different leftovers. I know when I was little I had "poormans pizza" my gramma's naming I think.. It was bread, sauce and cheese, baked it or put it on the stove. It was pretty good from what I remember.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes get yelled at by my older family members saying things like you spend your money wastefully (which sometimes I really do), or don't throw that away it can be used for something else.