C-PTSD from childhood and ongoing poverty

[Hazelcat]

Anyone stressed about financial stuff? I have trauma from growing up poor (and ongoing financial issues as an adult due to illness, job loss and periods of disability for both myself and my husband). We are doing okay now but I really get stressed out by financial demands. We own our strata apartment but have had to do many repairs in the last year since we had to buy a "fixer upper" and neither of us are great at do-it-yourself stuff. We did paint and do some minor repairs but had to hire professionals for electrical work and plumbing stuff. My husband is retired and gets a modest government pension, and I'm currently not working and planning to do some career upgrading so I can work from home next year.

I just read some studies that poverty in childhood causes lasting brain changes even if someone manages to achieve financial security later in life. People from backgrounds of poverty have difficulty with chronic anxiety and mood regulation. That certainly describes me.

[uni]

Hello Hazelcat. I think a lot of people are stressed by financial demands, especially nowadays with a lot of instability in the world generally.

I for one don't have a lot of money, and feel pretty uncertain about the future, financially and otherwise. My rent is going up. I drive an older car and just had something break that I suspect will cost a lot to repair. But to get a different one probably isn't in the cards at the moment, even if I wanted to. I'm retired, and find myself wondering whether I should get a job again, maybe part time. I just don't know. My mood has been low lately, and I know that's a bad time for me to make major changes.

If you and your husband are fixing up your place, good for you! I know many people who do that and it's stressful and costs money at the time, but once they can get through the process it seems worth it.

I didn't use to have financial anxiety. Despite growing up poor I never "felt" poor. And except for a couple of spells off work I've always managed to have my feet under me financially. But now, I'm worried.

It's hard to not let that anxiety cloud things though, I know what you mean. However, things have a way of working out, so I usually choose to believe they will, somehow. Meanwhile I guess, one step at a time. Sometimes the steps are very small, but they still count!

[Hazelcat]

Hello Hazelcat. I think a lot of people are stressed by financial demands, especially nowadays with a lot of instability in the world generally.

I for one don't have a lot of money, and feel pretty uncertain about the future, financially and otherwise. My rent is going up. I drive an older car and just had something break that I suspect will cost a lot to repair. But to get a different one probably isn't in the cards at the moment, even if I wanted to. I'm retired, and find myself wondering whether I should get a job again, maybe part time. I just don't know. My mood has been low lately, and I know that's a bad time for me to make major changes.

If you and your husband are fixing up your place, good for you! I know many people who do that and it's stressful and costs money at the time, but once they can get through the process it seems worth it.

I didn't use to have financial anxiety. Despite growing up poor I never "felt" poor. And except for a couple of spells off work I've always managed to have my feet under me financially. But now, I'm worried.

It's hard to not let that anxiety cloud things though, I know what you mean. However, things have a way of working out, so I usually choose to believe they will, somehow. Meanwhile I guess, one step at a time. Sometimes the steps are very small, but they still count!

Thanks for your response uni. Sorry to hear that you are dealing with financial stress too. I agree many people are stretched thin right now, and hope you can maybe get a part-time job if you feel like you need to in order to be comfortable. My return to school for a new career is out of necessity not choice, however I'm trying to be optimistic and hope I can work part-time perhaps 60-70% of a full work load, and from home so that will save me time and money on commuting.

We are not fixing our place up entirely by choice either, and it is causing financial stress as each thing breaks. However, we are not deeply in debt anymore so that helps.

I definitely felt our childhood poverty after my Dad left the family, and people would ask if I was anorexic because I was so thin (I was not! We didn't get enough food). However, I'm VERY glad I grew up in the 80s/90s, because I think it must be worse for kids now due to all the expensive technology everyone is expected to have. Also many social programs that helped my brother and I have now been gutted.

[uni]

Hazelcat, I'm glad those social programs were there for you and your brother when you needed them. I sometimes feel that society has gone backward in some areas. Not getting enough to eat must have been so hard. My mom experienced that too, so I heard a bit of what that felt like.

Here we are now, still in the game so to speak. Congrats to us I say