The Blueprint: Updating Our Ancestor’s Survival Techniques
By: Dr. Olga Osby - Co-Founder, Clean Slate Behavioral Health Solutions
America is experiencing another Collective Trauma impacting our health, mental health and overall sense of wellbeing. Americans have not fully recovered from the traumas of the COVID-19 pandemic that sweep the nation with an incredible amount of grief, sickness, isolation from family, friends and co-workers, and the fear what would happen next. Today, many are having an overload of fear of what will happen next because of the 2024 presidential election and the massive changes to our government being executed by the Trump Administration. These changes are undermining and threatening the safety nets that have been in place since the enactment of Social Security in the 1930s. Major programs, such as food programs, Medicaid, Medicare and housing assistance are at risk for major defunding or will be eliminated altogether. Also, it is projected that our economy may see massive disruption as well. Most conversations today revolve around what has been heard on the news, in social media and daily conversations that are raising fear, concern and anxiety, anger.
We are in the middle of another potential mental health crisis. People are expressing that they are feeling depressed, anxious, helplessness and hopelessness. Clean Slate Behavioral Health Solutions was organized to address all forms of trauma experienced by individuals, families and communities. Therefore, we have decided to dedicate a part of our website to help us recognize that the trauma and stress that many are beginning to feel during this turbulent time is real. However, we can address depression and anxiety mental health tools, techniques and knowledge of what you can do on your own, as well as when you need to seek therapy or treatment. You are not alone. None of us have to feel helpless or hopeless.
On this website, we will post information, insight, recommendations and tips on how individuals, families and communities can offset stress as our lives change and evolve. Begin now to engage in activities that will help you and your loved ones to organize and plan for tough times. Now is the perfect time to develop your survival plan.
One thing we at Clean Slate Behavioral Health Solutions want to emphasize is that we are a resilient people. Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents all survived hard times in extremely hostile political and economic climates (Jim Crow, the Great Depression, two World Wars and several economic recessions). We can look to the ancestors for examples of how to survive and thrive as individuals and a people. What did they do? They engaged in self-help and mutual aid. They did what they had to do, and could do, for their families. They also looked out for their extended family, neighbors, church family, and the community at large. They formed a bond with their family, friends and neighbors and helped each other. Using knowledge that they gained from their parents and ancestors, they managed to survive physically and protect their mental health. Below are three recommendations to help you to begin forming your survival plan. Information will be posed weekly that will expand on these suggestions and provide tools and techniques to help you, your loved ones and the community survive the next four or more years. Remember the saying, “Tough times never last, but tough people do”? Well, this is the time for us all to begin making sure that as tough people, we have the tools, resources and a plan in place to last through those tough times. And remember the call to action by Michelle Obama at the 2024 Democratic Convention of, “Don’t just sit around and complain, do something.”
Three Things You Can Do Now
1. Begin putting together an emergency bin of supplies.
Make sure you have an emergency stash of food, water, medicines, and other needed items in case of a local, regional or national disaster. (Note the attached leaflets on how to develop an emergency kit that will include what is needed for every individual, and even your pets, in the household.)
2. Begin putting money aside for an emergency. How much? As much as you can.
Gather all the change in our pockets and around your house – collect them, count it and know how much you have.
In dollar bills, make sure you have small bills consisting of $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills. This is to ensure that in times of power outages, and you may not be able to get to a bank or ATM, you can still purchase some gas and others needs items.
Cut spending on anything that is not essential. Put that money aside.
Get the whole family involved in setting aside an emergency fund, and do not touch that money for anything that is not an emergency. Watch that money grow.
3. Begin to grow our own food and learn how to preserve food. This is going to be a major means of survival, and this website will post more information and even videos on how to get started.
Start planting container gardens inside your home, if you do not have a yard outside. There are lots of videos online on how to do container gardens. Some will the posted here as well
If you have a small back yard, plant a garden or do raised gardens. This will also be discussed later as well.
Plant with family and/or friends. Share the food with each other. Start a family and friends cooperative to grow and share the food.
Work with your church to start a community garden for the congregation and community. Put unused land to work. We are in the process of developing a church community garden. More details to come.
Get with those in the community who know how to can and preserve food. We plan to provide much more information on this as well.
Lastly, start a family, friends and even church food pantry. The pantry can be for several families who get together to stock food, and within your church community for the congregation and surrounding community.
Most of all, pay attention to what is happening in the news to be aware of what is coming from this administration. Ask questions about how the changes in federal government funding is going to mean for you and your family. Don’t panic, plan.
If the Trump Administration follows through on their expressed determination to close the federal Department of Education, one of the many programs that will be impacted will be the end to food programs in schools, such as breakfast and lunch. Hunger is already a big program for low-income working families. How can we, as a community, ensure that low-wealth children and their families will obtain food. Kids cannot learn and grow without healthy food. Begin conversations in your churches about what your congregation can do to help the children in the church and community.
America as we have known it is changing, and these changes will have long-term consequence for everyone. Keep checking this space. Clean Slate Behavioral Health Solutions will be here providing information to help protect our mental health and overall sense of wellbeing.