Deployment can be tough on any family. Even if you’ve endured a deployment before, managing a home without your loved one can present unique challenges. Children and adults may develop anxiety, worrying about their loved one’s safety.

While deployment can throw a wrench into your plans or cause excess stress, it also presents an excellent opportunity to work on yourself, your passions, and your relationships. Having a plan to deal with strong emotions and separation anxiety can help you and your family overcome the stress of deployment.

1. Prepare for Deployment

Your schedule is likely to change when your loved one goes overseas. Before they’re shipped off, you should sit down and discuss all the aspects of deployment. For example, you’ll want to establish how you will communicate with your loved one, including how often you can expect to hear from them. Knowing that you’ll get to speak with them, even for short durations, can help ease the anxiety associated with separation.

You’ll also want to create a plan for how you will handle different situations at home, such as emergencies, childcare, and finances.

2. Stay Active

It can be easy to let yourself fall into a depression worrying about your loved one the entire time they’re gone. Instead, focus on keeping yourself active to limit downtime and unwanted thoughts. Ways you can stay active include:

●Schedule or attend events

●Meetup with friends

●Pick up a new hobby

●Spend time with family

●Exercise regularly

●Keep up with chores

Keeping your schedule full can reduce your downtime and associated worry. You can also fill your schedule and seek support from other military spouses through your local Family Readiness Program.

3. Maintain Your Children’s Routine

If you have children, their lives can become distributed when a parent is deployed. You can help your children’s life feel normal by helping them focus on a routine. Try to maintain a similar schedule your children had before your spouse deployed, but you can also add activities to help your children stay busy so they don’t experience constant separation anxiety.

Acknowledge that it can be challenging to keep up with all the parenting needs while your loved one is deployed. If you become overwhelmed, contact your support system for help. Your support system may include your family, friends, or a support network through the military.

4. Keep Your Loved One in the Loop

While your loved one is deployed, they’ll be missing out on moments in your life, which can feel ostracizing to you both. Take time to keep your deployed loved one in the loop, such as sharing details about your life or your children. Making a consistent effort to keep your loved one informed can help you feel closer. While your loved one may not be able to share all the details of their day, they can feel closer to you by hearing about yours.

5. Send Care Packages

Care packages are an excellent way to show your loved one that you’re thinking of them while giving them a piece of home. You can send their favorite snacks or comfort items to help them feel more connected to you while they’re overseas. Creating care packages with your children can make them feel more connected to their deployed parent while they’re away.

6. Have a Communication Plan

Having a set plan for communication can help you feel connected with your loved one, but remember to keep an open mind. Things can quickly change on a deployment and communication resources can become sparse. It’s more likely that your loved one has limited access to communication resources than they’re ignoring you. If you even experience limited communication, trust that your loved one is doing their best to contact you.

7. Prioritize Self Care

Deployments can be stressful for everyone involved, and worrying 24/7 can wreak havoc on your life. Rather than let your mental health fall apart, take time to focus on yourself. If you find that you’re struggling with the deployment, there are different ways you can manage, including:

●Finding a new hobby or skill

●Writing a journal about your feelings

●Make new friends

●Find support from other military spouses or groups

●Talk to a professional

●Ignore negative rumors from others

●Maintain a healthy sleeping schedule and diet

Help Your Loved One Prepare With the Right Luggage

Deployments are stressful for everyone, and the process comes with highs and lows. A deployment is even more stressful when your loved one doesn’t have the means to reliably transport their gear and belongings.

Military Luggage Company has been helping our troops prepare for deployments for years. We have a comprehensive selection of military bags to help your loved one persevere through deployment. Shop duffle bags, assault packs, loadout bags, and more to help your loved one feel more prepared to tackle the day. Browse our selection today, or contact us with any questions!