You know what I love? When you are in a middle of a deployment and things seem to be going well!
You are doing what you have to do, your kids are doing what they have to do, and everything flows.
That is the best feeling. You can really feel like you are thriving during the deployment instead of just trying to survive it. You feel like you got this!
But then, you might have days that don’t work out so well. You might have really rough deployment days, that just makes you want to cry. You might struggle with knowing how to get through them.
The good news is there are some things you can do to help get through these bad deployment days. Here are three quick tips that work for me:
Phone a friend!
Call someone you can vent to. Maybe that is a family member or a good friend. Find someone who understands that deployment can be difficult and can encourage you through them.
You don’t want someone that is going to say things like, “you knew what you signed up for,” or anything like that. Sometimes we just need to vent things out a little, cry things out a little, and then we can get to a better place.
If you can find other friends to go through a deployment with, you can help each other out with this. When one of you is having a bad time, the other can help bring the other through it. And if you are both dealing with a really rough deployment day at the same time, plan to meet up, order the kids some pizza, and have a fun tonight together to get through the more difficult parts of deployment.
Do something fun for an hour!
If time is dragging, which can lead to a really rough deployment day, you have to do something to kick-start it again. You need to make plans, even if just for an hour. You need to find something that will keep you busy.
Find something that will keep you busy for at least an hour. If you can do this, what usually happens is that you will fill that hour and more. And before you know it, the day is over and you have gotten through another one. It is all about putting your focus on something else instead of the deployment.
You should keep a list of things to do during a deployment that will keep you busy, that way you will always have a place to go to find something to do. It might be something as simple as going for a walk, or a long drive. Just find something else you can do, either alone, or with your kids, and you will find time will pass a little bit quicker.
Write in your journal!
Keeping a journal during a deployment is one of the best things you can do. Journals don’t judge, you can write in them whenever you want to, and they can help you get to a better place.
If you are angry at the military, write it out. If you are missing your spouse so much, you don’t think anyone else will understand, write it out. If you are just not sure how to express yourself, write it out.
Writing things out can be very good for you, no matter what you are going through. If you are in that really rought deployment spot, try to add journalling to your routine. It will probably make you feel much better.
Deployments can be tough on people for different reasons. What works for one person might not work for another, but hopefully, these tips can help you get through your next really rough deployment day.
