There’s nothing in the world like a huge bowl of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream after a hellish day in the trenches of deployment or long separations. You guessed it. Ice cream sundaes are my “go to” for a quick pick-me-up when joy feels too far gone.
We’ve all heard of self-care and the importance of prioritizing yourself. But, as is par for the course, sometimes all we can do is grasp at the small goals.
In a light-hearted attempt at bringing some “fun” into the dysfunction of deployment, here are my 10 quick tips for beating the blues during long separations.
1: Take a load off.
Sneak some time to simply sit and rest-even if it’s only five minutes.
2: Read a while.
After the kids go to bed, snuggle up with a good read and get lost in a book.
3: Call your Mama.
Sometimes, you just want your mom. That’s cool. Call her and unload.
4: Invite a friend.
I might not be able to plan a full-fledged event, but I can invite a neighbor over for some mediocre coffee and move my laundry pile to my bedroom (Or not. I find that a pop of color on my couch is just what it needed).
5: Grab a snack!
Pro Tip: hide cookies in a frozen broccoli bag in the fridge. The kids will never find your stash.
6: Go for a walk.
You know those fun neurochemicals that your brain makes when you go outdoors? Yeah, those. You need them. Make your brain produce the happy chemicals by walking in the daylight and moving yourself away from the couch…and perhaps the latest Netflix binge.
7: Sleep.
No, seriously. Take a nap. A little rest goes a long way.
8: Shower.
Let’s be real, friend… How many days has it been? If it’s longer than two, you know what to do.
9: Shave.
At this point, it’s probably a public service. With summer time coming to a close, you might as well slip in one more week of smooth legs before sweater weather.
10: Lastly, wash your sheets.
Ok. Hear me out on this one. You can’t beat the feeling of jumping into sheets that smell like lavender after a shower. For like five whole seconds, everything is right with the world. You know, before a kid comes in and throws up on them.
That’s it for this handy dandy survival guide. In short, sleep, shower, shave, and repeat. You will thank yourself for it. After all, like everything else, its up to you to snag some sanity however you can.
