Top 10 Tips for Surviving Deployment

Written 12/13/2020

Deployment- A word we  dread.  We all hope that it will not happen, but inevitably, the world we live in will place us in a deployment.  All of a sudden you find yourself a single parent who shoulders all the tasks of the household (housekeeper, taxi driver, teacher, unpaid shopper) and all the emotions of loss, loneliness, anger, anxiety, and exhaustion.  Then you have to deal with your kids emotions and be strong for them.

It all sounds like too much!  But then you start to talk to women who have been there before.  You learn some survival skills and you find a new normal. Here is how I survived our first deployment:

1. Do Yoga- Yoga is huge part of my life.  If you would like yoga to help you like it has helped me, I have developed a program for you, Yoga for Deployment.  But if yoga is not for you- just pick something to move you physically.  This will boost your endorphins which make you happy!  Positive outlets for your stress are the way to go!

2. Plan Something to Look Forward to Every Month- I planned an outing or road trip every month.  I love to adventure where we are and we had to stay pretty close due to COVID, but our little weekend trips took me out of my routine and gave us something to look forward to and plan for.  And I did not have to cook, clean, or drive my kids to all their lessons. A break for ME!

3. Accept Help- I have a really hard time accepting help.  Do you?  I love to feel and be independent and accepting help makes me feel weak.  I know, this is not true.  The best bit of advice I got was to learn to say no.  I learned to say no to obligations that I knew would take me over the edge.  And I did accept help.  I did it graciously and with a smile.

4. Find a Creative Outlet- I found a great need to create something while my husband was deployed.  He was creating all these learning experiences for his career and his life and I needed something more than just simply staying afloat while he was gone.  I created an online yoga business, Yoga Traveler .  I funneled ALL my creative juices into this business and I felt really happy and extremely fulfilled.  

5. Create A Sanctuary In Your Room- My room is my special place.  It is my online yoga studio, it is my sound booth for recording meditations, it is where I lay on the floor and meditate (or nap), it is filled with gentle lights and lamps.  I love it!  And I can shut and lock the door if I need a time out.  I may have a hard time letting Josh back in...

6. Eat Healthy and Get to Bed- I know I just feel better if I eat well.  I feel really good with a Macros based diet.  And I feel better if I get to bed.  Some days were a push, it was like a marathon to the finish line which was my bed.  But I did better when I finally got there.

7.  Monthly Massage- My sweet Josh gifted me with six months of massages while he was gone.  It was fantastic!!  If you can afford this, I highly suggest the expense.

8. DoorDash- We did our deployment during COVID-19 so DoorDash was a life saver. It was so exciting to order food on my phone and just wait in the comfort of home for it to be delivered.  No, mess, no clean up, no stress.  We did DoorDash once a week.

9. Read Books for Escape- I am a big reader and I love to just enter into another world and escape my own.  I found myself reading my favs because I knew I would be happy at the end of the book.  And I have to admit, I read a few tawdry romances.  Josh was gone afterall...

10. Play with Your Kids- I found this time in deployment to be a really great time to connect with my kids.  We had one on one dates, we planned activities together, I planned little surprises for them.  I really felt that we had each other.  They were my pals and I treasured it.

Have you been through a deployment?  What helped you to survive and THRIVE

Are you in preparing for a deployment or in the midst of one?  Get my Top 10 List for Surviving Deployment here! Yoga for Deployment