By Adrian Zupp
The holiday period can magnify the sense of longing for deployed military personnel and their families back home. Stress, depression, anger, lethargy…there are a variety of negative feelings that can manifest themselves – or become worse – in this situation.
But there are a host of things you can do to lessen the impact of separation during the holidays.
For the spouse/family of the deployed:
- Try to stay in touch with the deployed family member.
- Maintain all the usual holiday traditions: decorations, gifts, food, etc.
- If you are alone, try to socialize; don’t isolate yourself.
- Try to understand that your loved one may find it too difficult to even think about the holidays, and thus distance themselves temporarily.
- Take time for yourself; remember the things that are really important.
- You, your children if you have them, could do some volunteer work.
- Seek support. Talk to friends so you aren’t keeping things bottled up.
- Remember that there’s no right or wrong way to feel.
For the deployed family member:
If you are a parent, write a special letter to your child/children; perhaps send them a special ornament for the tree.
- Try filming a special holiday greeting or, for kids, a reading of a favorite book. The clip can be shared via the Internet.
- Seek support by speaking to your buddies and sharing.
- Remember that there’s no right or wrong way to feel.
If you become depressed or anxious and it lasts for two weeks or more, see a clinician and get their professional advice.
Adrian Zupp is the marketing and communications writer at Screening for Mental Health.
