Having grateful hearts

It will be tough post-collapse. Many people are obese and terribly out of shape. Their muscles are not developed and neither is their skeletal structure made to withstand harsh physical labor. The body is very dynamic however, and will under stress and adequate nutrition transform into what the person needs.

For this to happen, many little successes are necessary to gradually improve. It takes the will to commit to ceaseless discipline, else slacking off will result in having to double up efforts on other days, and this is very difficult to do with routine chores like gathering water, firewood, resources, and food.

Minor setbacks are to be expected. No path is perfectly smooth, and we are used to coasting most of the time by driving somewhere in our vehicles instead of riding our bikes, walking, canoeing, or riding a horse. Each new challenge can either be an opportunity or an irritation unless you do a mind-shift and see the beauty around you, the chance to live in community, and be at one with the Earth's natural rhythm and song.

If you give in to complaining, then others in your tribe will join that chorus instead. Misery loves company. It is unwise and will tear down fragile community that the leader facilitated and that the group synergistically built up. It is a voice of the Destroyer that adds to the discordant notes and breaks the harmony of your choir.

It is why I have spent so much time discussing ways to build up the group's morale. Tribe members will give up, even though they have been succeeding. It's because of boredom, lack of play, adequate rest, dehydration, hunger, and irritation.

Every little thing will seem like a nuisance, and rubs people the wrong way, like a stone inside your boot that you can't remove. It wounds the tribe, then it festers.
The only thing that you can do is improve morale through humor, understanding, sympathy, kindness, and love.

Everything can remain the same in your logistics, caloric intake, and muscle soreness, but if morale stays high then you can achieve those success milestones and gradually make things easier.

This fosters grateful hearts. If you can help people reframe their perception of consensual reality, then you can push onward on your journey. If useless complaining persists, then self-doubt will too, both in leader and follower alike. Self-effacement can have a purpose, as no one is perfect. Self-sabotage though helps no one.

Here's an example. All that work will take it's toll on the body. The most likely place it will become noticeable is the back. The vertebrae are separated by little cushions called discs. When you get dehydrated, these discs shrink a little, and this leads to pain from a lack of shock absorbers and pinched nerves. Hamstring muscles in the leg tighten under an increase of work without stretching. This tautness leads to pulling on the spine.

People stooping over instead of sitting down and taking care will strain the intrinsic (inner) back muscles. Tiny muscles act as supports for the spine and connect to the torso through the rib cage. Your tribe will be doing a lot of repetitive motions, some that are pounding, some that are grasping, some that are reaching in unusual ways, and they can “throw out” their backs. Usually this is a result of tiny tears in these internal back muscles and are often largely preventable.

Because you may have on backpacks, and it's a nuisance to take them off since they are unwieldy, then people rush and arch their backs in abnormal ways. You can almost see it on their faces as they intuitively think, “Man, I shouldn't be doing this...” and just then they hurt themselves.

Massages to hamstrings, upper and lower backs, insisting on everyone not being heroic and straining their muscles needlessly, and drinking plenty of water...these things are common sense and will reduce complaining. Sometimes if you can't give massages due to size differences, some smaller person can walk on your back and release tension too.

Your back is shaped with multiple natural curves. Often due to being overweight and literally having a counterweight (large breasts, a potbelly, or because of a backpack), then this pulls or pushes against the normal curves.

Try some self-care. Lie down flat and place two feet on the floor and press down at the same time and lift your hips. This relieves pressure on the lower back. Most often the issue is at lumbar vertebrae 4 and 5 which are right above the sacrum. Alternatingly pushing with your legs will temporarily reset the vertebrae and you may hear popping and a pleasant sensation from the relief.

Likewise lying on your side, you can press back and down with one leg, lift your hips, and get relief from back strain. Then you alternate the other side. Lying on a curved surface will also restore the natural curve of the back, and that will help too.

If you have prepped well, and have good anti-inflammatory medicines, those will be more valuable than gold or even food at times. Having things like a wrap or a back brace for heavy lifting will really help.

Either community care or self-care and judicious actions will prevent a lot of griping. Or if you don't take a leadership role in this, then you can watch your tribe slowly get injured and far less work will get accomplished.
The loss of several people means the suffering of those who are not injured and further griping.

Community care will result in true gratefulness. Whomever is benefiting will comprehend that it means that people sincerely care and are looking out for them and each other. This builds cohesiveness and esprit de corps.

Conflict is normal and expected. When people disagree, it is healthy to do it constructively. Many times both sides have valid issues. The idea is not to shut them up. When people are wrong, a quick sincere, “Yeah, you were right. I messed up. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?” will defuse the incendiary. That takes seconds versus a festering personality conflict.

There is a tendency for a leader to become autocratic in these situations. The tribe will usually resist that tooth and nail since they aren't used to it. You can be decisive, disciplined, and still compassionate and understanding. They are not mutually exclusive.

Most people will move heaven and earth if they simply are thanked and recognized for their worth. This straightens up their spine, posture, and bearing, and helps them to cope. It helps them find strength and resolve. Honestly this is the leader modeling a grateful heart for their tribe members showing initiative and following direction.