Deployments
Before Deployment
Getting ready for a deployment can be a stressful time for service members and their families. Whether you're single, a parent or a spouse, making a plan prior to deployment is a great way to prepare for the road ahead. Identifying resources and learning preparation tips will help you manage this transition more successfully.
Learn more tips and tools in articles from the Real Warriors Campaign.
After Deployment
There’s a lot to do when you return home and keeping track of everything can be challenging. Proper planning, awareness of available resources, good coping skills and social support will significantly influence your ability and attitude to handle all the uncertainties after deployment.
Take the time to prepare and learn more about the resources that can help you and your family. Real Warriors offers several articles to help with post-deployment concerns. The AfterDeployment website is also a terrific resource for accessing information and self-guided solutions for dealing with common post-deployment problems, such as stress, anger, depression and relationship issues.
Reintegration
Once you’ve been home a few weeks, the excitement of reunions, welcoming ceremonies and celebrations with dwindle. You will begin to feel the need to establish a routine, to put things back in order. But, where do you start? How do you begin making life normal again, when “normal” now means something different than before you were deployed?
Although returning home from deployment is often a time of great happiness, the transition back to your life at home can also be difficult and stressful. This stress is a common reaction to those who experience military deployments. Often, it helps to talk to others. Reaching out to peers or other people in your local community can help. Talking to your family about your deployment can be challenging, but it can also help ease your transition. If you feel you need to talk to your health care provider or chaplain about your stress concerns, help is available.
For more information on deployment-related concerns, please visit the following online resources:
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