This post is sponsored by Purple Mattress
Deployments naturally put a lot more responsibility on the spouse at home. You may have kids, household duties, work, a business, school and the emotional toll of your loved one being far away in a combat zone. As more deployments are on the horizon, we wanted to share a few tried and true ways to stay in good spirits when your loved ones are away.
Utilize On Base Child Care For Outings
Many military bases offer hourly child care at the local CDC or a set number of free child care hours if your spouse is deployed. Utilize those hours and schedule a date with yourself once or twice a month. Knowing that you can roam your favorite store with the bullseye, sit at your favorite coffee shop or just relax at home alone for a while gives you something to look forward to.
On Base Fitness Classes
They say exercise release endorphins that make you feel good and energetic. Most bases provide free access to the gym and even fitness classes. When we were stationed in Hawaii, I took weekly Zumba classes. Many bases offer aerobics Zumba and aquatics classes.
Take A Day Trip
Our sister site Retail Salute has tons of military discounts that are perfect for day trips or weekend travel. If you’re kid free ask a fellow Mils-use friend to hop in the car and go explore. If you’ve got kids grab a friend and hit the road locally and explore all your area has to offer.
Girl’s Night
Sometimes you just need to be with friends who understand what you are going through. Head to the commissary, grab some wine and snacks and lounge around and chat. If you’ve got kids make it fun by letting them have their own play date night by making them fun snacks and letting them enjoy their favorite shows or movies. Don’t worry if they make a bit of a mess. This is your time to destress and enjoy company!
Talk To A Professional
I have no qualms in admitting that deployment affected me emotionally. I missed my husband, I was lonely, the kids drove me crazy at times, and I had anxiety. For that reason I utilized the service provided by Military One Source to get free counseling sessions. Taking care of your mental health is self care. Don’t hesitate to do so.
Avoid Guilt
One of the feelings I experienced (and quickly got over) was guilt. Here I was living in Hawaii and not even 8 months in my husband had deployed. I initially felt bad about visiting all the attractions and beautiful places in Hawaii. However, I quickly got over that because I knew my spouse felt better and could perform his job better when he saw that we were happy and doing well. He encouraged me to take the kids places, watch our favorite shows without him, and do what we needed to do to get through without guilt.
A Good Night’s Sleep
This may sound simplistic, but it’s much needed! During my spouse’s deployments I found myself staying up late to watch TV or doing things around the house. By the next morning I was usually tired and sometimes irritable. Speaking of getting good sleep, Purple Mattress wants to make sure military spouses and their families are doing just that. They too understand that good sleep is essential for service members and their families. Right now they are running a limited time offer which gives military 10% off the purchase of any of their mattresses and a FREE Purple product with it. This could be anything from pillows to sheets.
Purple Mattresses support any body type by adapting to your body shape and offering a firm support to your back. Other features include keeping you cool, enhanced airflow and a mattress for “every body” literally! This offer is open to AD, Retirees, Reservists, Veterans and military spouses.
Ready to get your sleep on and a military discount too? Learn more about the Purple Mattress limited time military offer here.
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Army Wife 101
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market.
She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.