Navigating a year-long deployment as a military spouse can be daunting. Long separations can weigh down emotions and challenge mental health. The primary steps for navigating a longer-than-average deployment are maintaining emotional well-being, fostering connections with community, and utilizing resources that aid in coping effectively throughout the deployment.
This plan can help set military spouses on a path to growth through a year-long separation from their service member. Hidden strengths just may be discovered in the process.
Strategies for surviving a year-long deployment
Maintain Mental Health
A regular schedule to follow each day can help a military spouse focus on daily goals. That keeps the mind from worrying about the separation. Whether the daily activities are focused on children at home, or a job outside of the home, regular routine is a step to staying mentally balanced. Even with a solid daily routine and activities to look forward to, plan self-care into the schedule.
Another strategy to keep your mindset focused on a productive routine is to develop a hobby or start a freelance business. Starting a new job or hobby during deployment is a great way to create daily goals and feel more productive while handling deployment time alone.
When a military spouse is caring for small children and handling a deployment, finding a trusted babysitter or childcare is valuable. Ask for recommendations at the local base chapel, through neighborhood contacts or the neighborhood Facebook page. Finding a babysitter as part of the deployment strategy is helpful for being able to commit to doctor’s appointments and social activities.
Deployment burnout can happen suddenly without warning. Military spouses wear many hats due to the roles they fill, especially when handling a deployment. Having a full schedule may sound good in theory, but it can quickly lead to letting self-care become less of a priority. While adding a job or activities into the days can help fill time with productive activity, it is vital to avoid overscheduling.
Find Community
If the servicemember deploys with their home unit, there may be a military spouse community in place. However, if the deployment puts the servicemember into a new unit as an Individual Augment (IA), unit support may not be accessible.
Everyone benefits from a village or support network to handle the unexpected stresses that pop up during deployment. It’s important to be prepared to have an emergency contact or friend who lives nearby that can be reached when help is needed. Take action to build your military spouse community or local support network with some simple action steps.
Take the kids to the nearest playground when others are there. The kids can meet friends, and the parents can socialize too. Join the local base spouse club. Military spouses can even use their base housing office to host social gatherings. Host a coffee or charcuterie social time at the neighborhood clubhouse. These events may bring neighbors together who are also looking to meet new friends. There are also military resources to support spouses during deployments.
Reach Out to Deployment Resources
Plug into local base or community activities as a diversion. They may host family fun days, seminars and coffee socials to meet other military families. Reach out to your local family member program office and get on the distribution list to stay aware of upcoming activities.
If a military base is not nearby, the local veteran’s organization may have contacts for reservist or displaced active-duty spouses. Reach out to them for military deployment resources and support.
Military OneSource provides a wealth of military deployment resources. They provide access to help for filing taxes, links to career development courses and social networking opportunities. One military spouse shared that she called the Military OneSource tax line late at night. While filing taxes for the first time during a deployment, the advisor walked her through the task.
Take Stock of Your Strengths
When the long deployment is over, reflect on the experience. One helpful strategy is to make a list of every major and mundane task completed. This is a reminder of the challenges that were overcome. Difficult experiences are a chance to build strength. A year-long deployment will reveal strengths that military spouses did not know they had.