Being a military spouse means you will be faced with many difficult
situations and one of the hardest and most difficult is deployments. My husband
just left for his second deployment in less than a year. We have been lucky
with the time limits though his first to Afghanistan was almost five months and
this one is just four short months. However four months is still a long time to
be away from your spouse, let’s face it being away from them for more than a
few weeks is way too long, at least it is for me.
Since Allen and I have been married I have gotten a lot of
mixed opinions from friends, family, and even strangers about how I should
handle a deployment. I’ve heard things
like “I just don’t know how you do it” to “You knew this would happen, it’s
what you signed up for.” That last one really burns me up! And I could go on a
million page rant about everything that is wrong with that statement, but I
will refrain, because that is not what this post is about.
This post is about coping and keeping yourself busy during your spouse’s deployment. So here are three of the most important things to do to stay sane while your spouse is away:
This post is about coping and keeping yourself busy during your spouse’s deployment. So here are three of the most important things to do to stay sane while your spouse is away:
- Keep Busy: Since my husband has been gone I have
been trying to keep busy all day long! I go the gym, come home walk my dog, do
homework, study, walk the dog again, cook, read, watch a little T.V., read
again, bed. I am a stay at home wife for the time being so I have to fill my
day with tons of stuff to make the time go by. The first few days after he left
I was a mess and stayed in bed and watched Netflix and Hulu until my brain was
mush, then I got up and got over it. Being sad and wanting to do nothing is
normal when you are missing your spouse and a few days of wallowing is acceptable
but no more than a few days; you don’t want to get bed sores.
- Get a Hobby: During Allen’s first deployment I found so much comfort in painting. I would paint for hours and hours. So find something that you enjoy doing or try something you have always wanted to try. I promise it will help keep your mind off of the distance and make the time go by so much faster. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to projects to do while Allen is gone, check it out: Follow Jessica Maynor's board Let's get Creative! on Pinterest.
- Have Good Support: Keep in contact with family
and friends! Also if any others are deployed in your unit, get in contact with their
spouses. Trust me having someone who is going through what you are is a big
help. During Allen’s first deployment there were a small group of other wives
whose husbands deployed with Allen so we had weekly girls’ days and checked up
on each other it was BIG help. This time Allen went alone but since I got so
close with the girls during the last deployment and they understand all the
feels that go along with deployments I have them to lean on this time. Big
shout out to my friend Monica she has been my rock since I met her, I would be
lost without her support during these deployments!
Excuse my puffy face, this was taken the day Allen left for Afgahanstan.
On my birthday of all days, but Monica made sure I still has a awesome day!
If you are going through a deployment right now just stay positive,
it is only temporary. The good-byes are always sad, but the reunions are
amazing.
Stay Strong,
Jess
