IcaruslandedSenior Contributor
Rations!
Evenin' all! I just answered a post and it reminded me to write this, so here goes.
My grandparents lived through the last world war, as did my parents. They would tell stories about how it was in London, England (my grandparents) and my parents would tell me what happened with them (in the UK during the war, many children were temporarily sent to live with family outside of the main cities, as it was considered safer. My dad lived in Cornwall for a while, with Uncle Ted and Auntie Mildred.
During the war, supplies were hard to get, so everyone got a ration book. When the bombs were about to fly overhead (the Germans had one powered by a gasoline engine called a 'Doodlebug' (nickname for the V-1) which sounded a lot like an loud motorbike chugging along. Of course, when the sound stopped, you needed to be out of that area quick smart!
It got me to thinking tonight, what a great metaphor this is for mental health challenges. You see, when things are normal, we rarely consider how we deal with things in depth. We mostly run on a kind of autopilot, since there is no apparent threat on the horizon. But, when the threat becomes real, we should head to ground to protect ourselves as best we can. In wartime London, the underground train tunnels were the safest place to be - deep caverns, safe from the danger above. There was a sense of community in those tunnels, since everyone was in the same position, so people banded together and looked out for each other.
That is like how it works with mental health, in an ideal setting. When some life circumstance throws your life into turmoil, the smartest thing to do is 'go to ground.' You get to a safe space where you can protect yourself (your thoughts, your emotional state) and find a community that understands what you are going through. Whatever damage is being done, in time will be repaired. Your main priority is survival at this point. Resources are tight, so you only use what you need and learn to be as economical as possible, because you have to. You don't expect things to be normal because they are not. You 'power down' as much as possible, because background stress takes up a lot of resources (ever wonder why you feel tired after an inactive day)?
With our mental health, we need to reassess and realise things are not normal at the present time, therefore, we shouldn't expect ourselves to set 'normal' goals. Instead, we 'ration' them while we need to and use the resources we have, as economically as possible until we can get back to the surface, and repair what needs to be repaired, yes?
My point here is that most of us expect we should still be able to do things as we did before, but this is unrealistic and impractical. As such, why would you give yourself a hard time in this situation (most of us do)! You wouldn't run your car at full speed if the fuel tank was low either, would you? You would go easy on yourself...just like you would comfort a friend going through difficult times.
So...when that 'Doodlebug' is overhead, please...get to ground, get around your community where it is safe, ration your supplies and use them wisely while the attack is on, think calmly and as logically as possible about your strategy for repair when you are able to get back to the surface. And, find your tribe who can help you, because its always easier when you have a community who understands. Remember, your thinking is in your head and your head is compromised temporarily because of the stress, so it easily affects judgment. Others not involved in said stress, see the problems with 'fresh' eyes, which is the power of community.
And lastly, remember, 'wars' never last forever, neither do circumstances. As we grow through difficulties, so we become forged anew and can better arm those we care about when their crisis hits.
Ic.
