“You carry around the stress of all the troops. From your [commanding officer] to the private, they come to you. The question is: who do you go to?”    —U.S. Navy Lt. (Chaplain) Jose Bautista Rojas

Real Warriors Campaign recently launched video public service announcements (PSAs) highlighting the importance for caregivers to seek help. Whether at home or deployed, medics, nurses, physicians, chaplains and military families often cope with both their own stress and those they support. Watch and share the PSAs to encourage caregivers to reach out for support if they’re coping with stress or other psychological health concerns.

Video courtesy of Real Warriors Campaign

	U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Lee

Now that you’re back, it’s important that you take time to revisit your financial affairs. Your income and monthly expenses will change since you’re no longer deployed. Evaluating your financial health to make sure your obligations and needs are covered will help you prevent unwanted financial stress during this readjustment period. Consider using the following tips and tools highlighted in the Real Warriors Campaign article, “Planning for Financial Health After Deployment,” to help give you financial peace of mind as you reintegrate to life at home.

Determine financial management roles
While you were away, a spouse, parent or other responsible individual may have served as your financial overseer and managed your financial obligations. Now that you’re home, re-evaluate these roles to establish who will manage your family’s financial responsibilities moving forward.

	U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dominique Pineiro

We’ve previously featured what you can do to prepare your finances before a deployment, but maintaining your financial health while deployed is just as important. Financial-related stress could eventually lead to debt, relationship challenges or psychological health concerns such as depression or substance misuse. So, use the following money management tips and resources highlighted in the Real Warriors Campaign’s article, “Managing Financial Challenges During Deployment,” to help you balance the demands of deployment with financial obligations.

Follow your financial management plan

Before you left, you and your family may have created a financial plan to follow while you’re away. If not, you can still create a spending plan to help you save money for emergencies or pay off credit cards and other debt. If you exceed your monthly budget, get back on track as soon as possible. To help recover from overspending, try these tips:

• Re-evaluate your original spending plan and identify the reason or reasons for exceeding it. By determining the cause for overspending, you can help your family recover and prevent it in the future.

	U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark E. Morrow Jr.

Before you deploy, you’ll want to set time aside to coordinate your financial obligations and plan your financial readiness. It may seem overwhelming, but the Real Warriors Campaign’s latest article, “Preparing Your Finances Before Deployment,” provides practical money management tips to help you organize your funds before you leave and maintain financial readiness while you’re away. Tips include:

• Choose a financial observer. To help you manage your finances while deployed, choose someone like your spouse, parent or other responsible person whom you trust, to oversee your finances.
• Establish a power of attorney and draft a will.
  While you’re deployed, it may be necessary for someone to make decisions on your behalf. A power of attorney will allow you to legally grant a selected individual to act on your behalf. Also, draft or update your will to ensure your property is handled as you intend in case of death. For assistance preparing your power of attorney or will, contact the legal office on base or use the U.S. Armed Forces Legal Assistance locator to find legal help near you.

	U.S. Air Force photo by Lance Cheung

Less stress; stronger sense of belonging; greater peace of mind; and more self-confidence are benefits to having a strong personal support network. And your support network should include people you trust and care about and who likewise care about you — friends, family and peers. For service members, your military unit is just one part of your support network.

We depend on our support system to provide some kind of practical and emotional support on a daily basis and in emergencies. Having a solid support system makes it easier to cope with the unique challenges of military life — preparing for deployment or relocation; work-related stress; reintegration concerns; and balancing the demands of military and family life. There are so many advantages of having a personal support network — learn how you can strengthen and expand yours with these simple tips from the Real Warriors Campaign: