chambanachik: 5 Ways to Avoid the Deployment Blues

Adrienne is a military spouse and writer who contacted me after reading my post about depression. She offered to write a guest post and it couldn't have been more timely. And even though this post deals with depression during deployments, a lot of the same things can be applied to depression in general. I appreciated her post and hope you will too.

Dealing with a loved one's deployment is never easy. Learning to manage a home by yourself or readjusting your schedule to be a single parent can sometimes seem overwhelming, if not downright impossible. However, a deployment doesn't have to be a sorrowful time.

Here are a few tips that every spouse can use to help get through a deployment without the blues:

Find Support Groups

When your spouse is deployed, there is no reason to carry the burden alone. Most likely there will be a few support groups for spouses with deployed service members in your area.

Be sure to find a group to attend so that you can share your concerns, fears, and troubles with a group of people who truly understand. These groups will help you release your feelings and will keep you strong like Erika’s post on the Model Army Wife.

Get Involved

One way to help ease your mind while your military member is deployed is by getting involved. Look into volunteering with a local military support organization or at the local VA hospital. If the volunteer options are limited in your area, consider starting your own care package drive or creating another way to get involved.

Stay Social

Just because your spouse is away doesn't mean you should stay locked indoors. Be sure to take the time out for friends and family. Plan lunch dates or girls' nights out. These will help relieve any feelings of loneliness, and will keep you from feeling low.

Being social is also one way to help fight the insomnia that some spouses deal with while their soldier is away. For more ways to fight insomnia, see this article from Military Spouse Central. Getting enough sleep is essential to your mental and emotional well being.

Reach Out

If you begin feeling low or depressed while your spouse is deployed, don't be afraid to reach out to your friends and family members. Pick up the phone for a chit chat to ease loneliness, plan a lunch date to ease isolation, or consider attending a second support group until your needs are met. Also if you need help with basic household management, don't be afraid to ask someone for some help.

Get Online

Most spouses fall victim to the deployment blues because they miss their deployed spouse. To relieve these feelings, be sure to stay in contact with your spouse as often as you can. Email, Skype, and the occasional phone call are all great options, and can help you and your deployed spouse stay connected.

Deployment is never easy for anyone. It takes some readjusting for both the deployed and the left behind, but by caring for yourself properly, you can ease the mental burdens of deployment easier.