Dealing with Stress in the Military – Tips
Dealing with Stress in the Military – Tips
According to MedlinePlus, a medical encyclopedia, stress is a reaction to the feeling of emotional or physical tension. It arises from the challenges and demands you experience in life. A little stress is healthy because it pushes you to be productive and handle a given situation. However, too much stress can be overwhelming. It can negatively affect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Dealing with stress in the military can be very difficult.
There’s no surprise that serving in a military capacity is very demanding. Family members are a part of those demands when they need to make sacrifices for those they love. Stress can affect anybody in the military community. It can affect veterans, those currently serving, military spouses and partners, and other family members. It will also affect those in basic training or officer training school. Everybody in the military community plays a different role. Therefore, stress can happen from many different ways. Dealing with stress is very important to address. The question is: how do you deal with stress in the military?
Dealing With Stress In The Military
There are many ways to deal with stress in the military. For service members, avoiding overworking and making a realistic schedule are just a few of the many ways. Setting some family time is also important. For military spouses, meditating and keeping an optimistic mindset can help deal with the stress in a military relationship. We will cover more ways for dealing with stress in the military in detail later in the article.
Causes
Depending on who you are, here are a few situations that can cause stress in your life:
Active Duty – Dealing with Stress Daily
Active duty personnel are dealing with stress from many situations in their everyday lives.
-Near perfect performance always expected on the job. This puts a lot of pressure on you. You do not want to fail or you will feel like you’re bringing down the overall effectiveness of the unit. However, failure is part of growing; you must learn from it instead of dwelling on it. It is important to perform to the best of your abilities. However, this can and will cause stress. Some causes of stress include:
– Pre deployment training
– Separation from family on deployment
– Long hours on the job that take away from free time
– Finances
– PCSing
– Coordinating for field exercises
– Homesickness
– Death of a family member or service member
– Combat
Reserves – Dealing with Stress in two different worlds!
– Near perfect performances always expected on the job.
– Pre deployment training
– Balancing civilian life with military obligations. One weekend a month doesn’t sound bad, but you are expected to come in and know what to do for that drill. I have yet to start drill. However, I know I won’t want to come in once a month lost and asking what to do.
– Separation from family on deployment
– Death of a family member or service member
– Combat
Military Spouses and Partners
– Keeping a strong relationship or marriage
– Coping with deployments
– Adjusting to new duty stations
– Making friends, looking for jobs, taking care of children
– Homesickness
Veterans – Dealing with stress of a new life style
– Transition to civilian lifestyle and finding a job
– Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
– Imposter syndrome
– Finances
Recruits/Officer Candidates – Dealing with Stress from the training
– Constant activity from drill instructors
– Away from the civilian world for the first time
– Transformation process
Effects
While factors that cause stress for those in the military community differ, the effects are generally the same. Some effects can include:
Uncontrollable shaking of hands and feet | Dry mouth | Nausea | Profuse sweating | Obesity | Other bad habits to ease the pain like smoking or drinking
Depression | Suicide | Anxiety | Constant worrying | Lack of focus
Easily agitated and irritable | Loneliness | Lack of confidence | Overwhelmed | Feeling helpless | No hope for the better
These effects on stress can do damage to your career, training process, relationship, and other things in the military.
What To Take From This
Stress can get the worst of anyone in the military. There are many ways to get stressed for anyone in the military community. Therefore, you want to be able to handle any undesirable situation encountered. When you “sign your life away” for the military, you should expect to be stressed at some point. You are expected to conduct yourself with high standards 24/7. While this is a good mentality to have, it will most certainly stress you out. As a military spouse, you are expected to make sacrifices for your loved ones. You can’t control deployment separations, high performance expected on the job, etc. However, you can control how to deal with them. From my time so far and talks with friends and their partners, I put together a list. Let’s go over some of the ways to deal with stress in the military:
Keep a Healthy Lifestyle – Dealing with Stress Physically
At my last schoolhouse, I was hit with constant tests, practical evaluations, and field preparation. It was a stressful couple months but I maintained a healthy routine. As a result, my body didn’t suffer and my mind was in the right place.
Eat Right
Stress can cause unhealthy eating habits. Those good, fatty foods are tempting when you’re vulnerable. Ice cream and pizza are good rewards, but shouldn’t be your fix to stress. Food is fuel for your body – have a good diet and your body will thank you.
Physical Fitness – Find Ways for Dealing with Stress
Don’t let stress consume you in on duty, looking for a job after serving, etc. Serving in military can be a stressful profession but you are expected to be physical fit for the job. Make time throughout the week. You’ll feel better after you do it.
PT with your friends or unit | Go to the gym | Body build | Run | Hike | Walk | Yoga | Aerobics | Swimming | Rock climbing | Obstacle courses | Sports
Sleep – Give your body and mind rest to deal with stress
Your body needs enough rest in order to function properly for the next day. You may have a lot on your mind. You may have things you need to take care of. Lack of sleep can mentally shut you down and actually be counterproductive. For recruits that get limited sleep, find the balance of sleep and academic preparation.
Have a Strong Mindset – Dealing with Stress with Positivity
This goes for anybody in the military community. You all can’t power through hard days without a good mindset.
Stay Optimistic
Don’t put yourself down when things get rough. Have a positive approach to new situations that arise. Keep a can-do attitude.
Stay Confident
Believe in yourself when you’re stressed. Know that you can conquer the task, get the most out of deployment, etc.
Stay in Control – Bad Habits Don’t Help You Dealing with Stress
Thoughts turn into action. Don’t let your mind deceive you. Avoid dealing with the pain with bad habits that temporarily mask stress. Drugs, nicotine, and alcohol are common to turn to in times of stress. Don’t let them win and put you on a path of destruction. You will get addicted and your health will deteriorate.
Be Aware of Overworking
The military demands a lot from your job and it important to get it done. However, take a break every now and then! Not doing so is only making you less efficient. As a recruit or officer candidate, you will work a lot more than you thought you were capable of. However, do it efficiently. For veterans and reservists, looking for a job after the military is sometimes not always instant. I know the process as I am still looking for one going into the Reserves. It will come. Stay consistent and patient.
Have Realistic Goals
Don’t put more of a load on yourself than you think you can handle. I’m not saying to push yourself harder – I’m saying to know what’s within reach. Obviously for recruits, you must push yourself as it is part of the process. Don’t let fear prevent you from expanding your capabilities. However, don’t tell your CO you can accomplish a monthly take in a day.
Make a Schedule
Make a to-do list to keep you on track. Fitness workout plans are a great way to push yourself while not overworking yourself. Analyze the situation and make logical decisions when you feel stressed. Do you think it makes sense to add more work to your workload when you’re already swamped?
Face the Challenge Head On – Don’t Avoid Dealing with Stress
Fear of stressful situations can often lead people to stay in their comfort zones. As a result they will never grow. In the military, haven’t you ever heard of overcoming adversity? Let stress work FOR you – not AGAINST you! This work ethic builds character.
Take on that extra responsibility – it will help you for selection boards to get promoted
Note: Anticipate and recognize when you will be stressed so you can figure out a way to handle it.
Understand Your Priorities – Dealing with Stress by Organizing
In the military community it can be stressful making sacrifices and balancing work, family, friends, and personal time. Realize that you need to set aside time for all of it differently. For those in training, prioritizing is key to succeeding and dealing with stress. You will be drained from sleep, workload, and body soreness. Organize your life and prioritize your time – it always seems to fly by with a military lifestyle. Some examples for planning may include:
– Communicate with your chain of command when your wife is expected to be due
– Set plans for quality time with the family
– Plan and organize tasks of importance to get done for the unit – delegate those tasks and work as a team
Breathe!
When you’re feeling stressed, take a moment to calm down. Take a breath and gather your thoughts.