11. Letting it out!
Every once in a while I find that a good cry helps me “shed those tears” so I can raise my head up high again with a smile on my face and march through the days ahead. -Michelle Aikman, Air Force Spouse
12. Speaking of the good cry–
watch the sappiest, girly movies you can find…I always go for The Notebook or Sex & The City: The Movie. Sip on wine, snack on cheese and cry, cry, cry It is all oddly therapeutic. -Ashley Jacobs, Marine Corps Spouse
13. On the same note, finding a way to direct my frustrations.
So much of deployment stress for me is the lack of control over the situation. If I don’t find a way to direct those frustrations I find myself taking it out on others around me. For me it is fitness. I turbo kick that invisible monster in the mirror away several times a week. – Michelle Aikman, Air Force Spous
14. We count by paychecks! -Liz Doxader Snell, Marine Corps Spouse
15. I sent an email to all of our friends and family with a calendar and asked everyone (if they were interested) to pick a week to send a care package.
My husband was deployed for 12 months so there were lots of spaces to fill. I emailed them basic info regarding what can/cannot go in a care package and his favorite foods and items. He received a care package most every week for the entire year, including seasonal/holiday items at the appropriate times. It took a little organization and reminding on my part, but the payoff was his surprise and appreciation for everyone that was thinking of him. So this isn’t really how I survived while he was gone, but more about his survival while he was away. -Susan Osborne Bernhard, Air Force Spouse
16. My advice for surviving deployment is totally different.
Take the first two weeks and really grieve. Just wallow in your misery until you are sick of yourself. Get the bare minimum done. By the time two weeks of nothing but wallowing is done, you are ready to get on with your daily life. Trying to ignore that your spouse is gone just prolongs the misery. -Sharon Gilbert, Air Force Spouse
17. My other tip is to put off R&R to the absolute last minute.
It is worse when they leave the 2nd time. It’s a lot easier to survive 3 months to the end of their deployment after they leave AGAIN than it is to go through 6 MORE months. -Sharon Gilbert, Air Force Spouse
18. Get plugged into a church;
a lot of churches in a military community have a deployment support ministry. Get your children involved in everything: care packages, their own camera to take pictures to send to daddy, etc. Join a group that supports moms and kids such as MOPS, and MOMs club. These are some of the things that are currently helping us through our current deployment. -Christine Carr Rush, Air Force Spouse
19. How about not stressing out over not sending crafty care packages! Patrice Janyska, Air Force Spouse
20. I bought a package of blank cards and markers and took them to church to have all our friends write messages to my then boyfriend (now hubby) and his best friend while they were deployed.
They really enjoyed opening up 50 cards from 50 people. My hubby opened them all at once, his friend opened one a day. It was nice to get everyone involved and also it gave me a project to take away some of my sadness. -Pamela Rodney, Air Force Spouse
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