No Result
View All Result
Military Spouse
  • Life
    • Moving
    • News
    • Discounts
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
    • Virtual Career Expos
    • Military Spouse Careers
  • Education
  • Magazine
    • Digimag
    • Subscribe
  • Money & More
    • Navy Mutual
  • Resources
Military Spouse
No Result
View All Result

Post-Traumatic Stress: When It Starts To Hurt Your Family

Military Spouse Team by Military Spouse Team
in Health, Homecoming, Relationships
0
Post-Traumatic Stress: When It Starts To Hurt Your Family

Last year, our family had the most magical Christmas: the blankets of fresh snow, bright lights and merry songs filling our home, plates of homemade cookies (because nothing brings joy like a tight waistline),and the surprise return of our favorite soldier from a deployment to Afghanistan.

Days before Christmas, he brought peace and joy and fulfillment through our frost-chilled front door. We were a poster family for catalogs– the happiness, smiles, and warmth were palpable.

While the first few months of his return were not without reintegration hiccups, contentment reigned as communication between husband and wife felt natural and rich, father and daughters fell into a pattern of play monsters and tickle fights, and peace continued to fall over our small family.

I wish I could stop there.

However, those hiccups gradually escalated from minute grievances into interruptions of family life, of trust, and of the very basic foundations of our relationship.

Three months post-deployment, he began to face sudden and severe anxiety, a new hardship for him. Because he did not know how to cope, he became easily irritated and angry, lost interest in his religious faith, delved into former addictions and lied constantly.

While I never, ever feared for my physical safety, my mental and emotional safety seemed unstable: I had no idea when he was telling me the truth.

The dissipation of trust had reopened old, painful wounds that I thought forgiveness had healed. Our emotional connection resembled the flicker of a dying lightbulb. We were roommates, friends even, but our deep-rooted foundation of emotional and personal security and connection had begun to decay.

And hardest of all, he didn’t see that his poor choices were affecting our family, our marriage.

And so here we are, six-months post-deployment, plummeting the drop of the emotional roller-coaster, our hair whipping in what seems to be a continually circling, never-ending wind of “figuring things out.”

Page 1 of 5
12...5Next
Previous Post

‘Private label’ commissary-brand groceries are one step closer to shelves

Next Post

4 Military Spouse Benefits to Get YOU to College

Next Post
4 Military Spouse Benefits to Get YOU to College

4 Military Spouse Benefits to Get YOU to College

Recommended

The Strength of My Military Child with Autism

The Strength of My Military Child with Autism

4 days ago
5 Celebrities Who Were Also Military Kids

5 Celebrities Who Were Also Military Kids

5 days ago
Thoughts From a Military Kid Left Behind

Thoughts From a Military Kid Left Behind

6 days ago
Spring Cleaning’s Effect on Your Mental Health

Spring Cleaning’s Effect on Your Mental Health

1 week ago

Terms of Use
Our Team
Media Kit
Advertise
Newsletter
Submit an Article
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Compliance

December 2020

Life

Employment

Education

News

Discounts

Moving

Sitemap

  • Life
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
  • Education
  • Magazine
  • Money & More
  • Resources

Copyright 2020 Military Spouse

Terms of Use | Advertise | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Compliance

No Result
View All Result
  • Life
    • Moving
    • News
    • Discounts
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
    • Virtual Career Expos
    • Military Spouse Careers
  • Education
  • Magazine
    • Digimag
    • Subscribe
  • Money & More
    • Navy Mutual
  • Resources

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.