DCoE Blog

• Muppet-themed Mobile App Helps Military Kids Adjust to Moving

  Posted by Corina Notyce, DCoE Public Affairs on April 29, 2014

  
  Courtesy photo

  The average military child moves six to nine times between kindergarten and high school. That’s a lot of planning, packing, unpacking and readjusting — good reasons to start early to get your children comfortable with moving.

  But, don’t feel like it all comes down to you to make your next family move smooth and fun. Download “The Big Moving Adventure” mobile app to your smartphone or tablet (or let your preschooler do it for you), and you have help.

  Sesame Workshop and National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) created “The Big Moving Adventure” app to help military families with young children cope with the moving process.

  Categories: Technology, Stress, DCoE, Resources, Military Children, Deployments   |   Comments (0)

• Sleep: More Important Than You Think

  Posted by DCoE Blog Staff on April 28, 2014

  
  U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sean Searfus

  As a caregiver for a husband with traumatic brain injury (TBI), Rosemary Rawlins shares insights garnered from her own experiences along with insights from other caregivers and family members in her blog, “Learning by Accident,” on BrainLine. In this blog post, she talks about sleep — how poor sleep can affect you physically and mentally, and how simple changes to your daily routine can make for a good night’s rest.

  Of all the physical reactions I experienced after my husband’s brain injury, I think exhaustion was the most difficult, most unbearable and hardest to overcome. From the moment I learned about Hugh’s accident, I couldn’t lie down in my bed without imagining that chaotic scene and the pain he must have felt. Many nights I left my bed and paced around the house, surfed the Web, or tried to meditate and forget the images in my mind. When those thoughts began to recede, worry took over.

  Categories: Women, Traumatic Brain Injury, Personal Stories, Stress, Families, Psychological Health   |   Comments (6)

• Teens Connect on Discussion Board for Military Kids

  Posted by Carolyn Rasmussen, Military Kids Connect on April 22, 2014

  

  Military life can be exciting, tough, fun and stressful all at the same time. What better way to ride out the ups and downs than with other teens like you? You can find military teens from across the world on a discussion board at Military Kids Connect. Who knows? What’s on your mind just might be on their minds too.

  If you’ve never visited Military Kids Connect, it’s an online community where military youth of all ages can share their stories about the rewards and challenges of military life. Your civilian friends are probably helpful, but there’s nothing like the support you can get from someone who’s been there.

  Categories: Traumatic Brain Injury, Technology, Community Support, Families, Resources, Psychological Health, Military Children, Deployments   |   Comments (1)

• Online Resources to Support Military Families

  Posted by Jayne Davis, DCoE Public Affairs on April 10, 2014

  
  U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Farrington

  When your son gets a tummy ache or scrapes a knee, you take him to the doctor. When your daughter chips her tooth, you take her to a dentist. But where do you go when your child’s woes are a result of parents who are away on deployment for months at a time; frequent moves that involve changing schools and leaving friends behind; and parents returning home with combat-related injuries?

  A behavioral health specialist is always a good choice. But you can also turn to online resources to help you help your children cope with whatever military life might bring their way. Military children have demonstrated courage, strength and resilience in challenging times. In honor of Month of the Military Child, we assembled resources that help encourage those instincts. And they support you, the caregivers, as you help the children you love adjust to military life and all it offers.

  Categories: Traumatic Brain Injury, Technology, Community Support, Families, DCoE, Resources, Psychological Health, Military Children, Deployments   |   Comments (2)

• ‘But, I Don’t Drink Every Day’

  Posted by Christine Leccese, Military Pathways on April 8, 2014

  

  April is Alcohol Awareness Month — a good time to assess drinking habits. People may hear this and joke that they’re fully aware of their drinking, but problem drinking is no laughing matter. Although drinking is a legal and accepted part of our society, for many it can lead to broken relationships, brushes with the law and for some service members, major career setbacks.

  If drinking is so common and accepted, how do we know if we have a problem with alcohol? Many people mistakenly believe that if they don’t drink every day they don’t have a problem. Actually, both maintenance drinking (drinking every day) and binge drinking (drinking excessively when you do drink) can suggest a problem with alcohol.

  The effects of drinking on home or work life may also provide clues, although you may not see this. A problem relationship with drinking isn’t always clear to the person doing the drinking.

  Categories: Families, Veterans, Resources, Substance Misuse Treatment, Treatment, Psychological Health   |   Comments (0)

• Support for Coping with Tragedy

  Posted by Jayne Davis, DCoE Public Affairs on April 3, 2014

  

  Today, military and civilian communities across the country share a common sense of sadness and grief in reaction to the tragic incident that took place yesterday at Fort Hood, Texas. This event, like other manmade or natural disasters, may place a tremendous burden on our resilience, self-esteem and ability to survive a disaster.

  Your individual response may differ in ways from how others respond to the tragedy. However, psychology experts have developed a deep understanding of the human condition when faced with a crisis and how we might cope with it. Dr. Vladimir Nacev, Deployment Health Clinical Center clinical psychologist, tells us it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotional, behavioral and psychological reactions to trauma. Allowing yourself to experience these feelings is necessary for healing.

  Categories: Resilience, Stress, Community Support, Families, Resources, Depression, Psychological Health, Leadership   |   Comments (2)