It’s that time: You’ve either PCS’d or you are just getting started. Your stuff is in boxes, or about to go into boxes.
Whether remaining in the same home or community or leaving, your world is turned upside down with goodbyes, back to school chaos, pending TDYs and upcoming deployments. In other words – Life is AWOL right now!
Things change daily. You’ve probably lost your mind.
What do we do? We get our children situated, and make sure our spouses have everything they need to report “mission ready!” We help them adapt. After all, we’re logisticians of our households. They receive our best… but we have to care for ourselves too!
Change is new and scary. You may feel of anxious, lonely, and disconnected. Not all installations have the same “feel.” Sometimes the place you thought you’d LOVE, you detest. But you’re stuck there, so what do you do?
You fix YOU. You find your feet and establish equilibrium. You swallow fear and dare to be brave by communicating with others to build your community.
First you:
– Talk to neighbors. A simple “hello” can work wonders. That neighbor can become a great friend and support.
– Talk to installation Navy and Marine Corps Fleet & Family Services/Army Community Services, Airman and Family Readiness Centers and Family Readiness Officers. The one where you live may not be your branch, but folks there are a wealth of information.
– Talk to your local School Liaison Officer. They can give you great information about schools and events for school-aged children.
– Talk to your Ombudsman, FRG or Key Spouse to obtain information about events and POCs in your command chain. They can help and refer in the event of a crisis.
– Talk to people you see walking dogs, if you have a pet. You can gain some amazing information on animal care in your local area (and, perhaps, make a friend).
– Talk to your PCM or doctor if you experience feelings of abandonment, you’re feeling overwhelmed, and/or depressed. I can’t stress this enough. If you’re in crisis, please get clinical help.
Then you build your community through action:
– Check Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for any interesting happenings. Most installations are now social media driven, and all things from local events on installation and in the community to all kinds of clubs can be found. And go!
– Visit locations such as parks, frozen yogurt shops, and running clubs to find people with similar interests and hobbies. Yelp is great for this!
– Go to that first PTA meeting for the new school. The parents may be interesting.
– Find the mall! Retail therapy can be wonderful, even if you do not buy anything.
By no means are these the only ways to fix the challenges we face. But we’ve got commit to ourselves the same way we do to our families. Our resiliency comes from creating a community we can thrive in year after year.