Hello everyone! Danielle here! In today’s blog, we will be talking about ways to relieve stress while in a military environment. For the past few weeks, I have been a bit overwhelmed with life and work. So here is how I managed to keep myself going (mentally) during this rough time.
Self-care
A lot of people may get this one misunderstood with taking care of oneself. Most think of self-care as pampering yourself on a Sunday afternoon or treating yourself to a manicure and pedicure. Yes, this is self-care, but I am more focused on your mental health. If you feel like you’re around a lot of negativity, pull yourself away from that. You need to take care of yourself. Being around a lot of negativity can ultimately affect your well-being. So why keep subjecting yourself to that type of environment. I recommend that if you feel like you’re definitely in some horrible (not hostile) environment, pull yourself out of that environment. This can be friendships, work peers, or work environment in general. Pull yourself away from this situation because overall it will begin to feed into the stress you already have, and turn your good stress into negative stress.
Change of Scenery
This one is as easy as it sounds. Take yourself out of your work environment. You may not realize it, but you are allotted breaks (regardless of your career field). Some people who work outside may get more breaks than people who work inside. If you work inside, step outside and get some sunlight. Take a five-minute walk around the block. Take in the weather. It will lighten your mood tenfold.
Talk to Someone
Simply talk to someone about what is going on in your world at the moment. You might not want to talk to anyone because it might “hurt your career,” but you could have an underlying issue going on that you might not have realized that is affecting your mental stability. Reach out to your supervisor, chaplain, or First Sergeant for help. They have experience with many different situations and are groomed on the procedures you need to take to deal with your stress. Their opinion of you will not change. They will hear you out and advise you on what you need to do. Even put a plan together for you.
In conclusion, there are several avenues you can take to relieve your stress. However, these are physical things you can do that can be done immediately when you are feeling overwhelmed. There are other things you can do like going to the gym or for a run, read a book, or investing some time into your hobbies. The problem causing the stress may not go away immediately, but how you react to the stress will ultimately affect how you solve the problem. Hence, alleviating your present stress will help your mental stability in the long run.
Stress can manifest itself in many ways when you are a student, a soldier, and a parent. But you must learn to recognize stress.
LikeLike
This was a really good read. I’ve often wondered how people in the military deal with the stress of it all. I’m not in the military, and I don’t have anyone I know in it, but it seems like it would be a very stressful job. So much is riding on everything everyone does.
LikeLike
I think talking to someone really helps alleviate the pain. I usually do some writing / blogging to divert my attention and juice out my creative side. I really believe that letting all the negative vibes can help.
LikeLike
Getting outside really can make a world of difference. That’s true like you said, even if it’s for five minutes.
LikeLike
These are some really great tips for managing stress that I think would benefit anyone regardless of whether they are invested in the military or not. I do know that military service exposes you to different kind of stress so in that way it’s very beneficial as well
LikeLike
These are great tips. I also love taking walks on the beach or going to a museum. It relaxes me.
LikeLike
I showed this post to my husband, and he enjoyed reading it. He is a Chaplain and said that more people in the military should be practicing self-care and using the tools that you’ve posted here and also in the talking to someone coming to see them at the Chapel.
LikeLike
Yes. He is an additional source. Actually, he’s probably the first choice outside of a friend that I would go to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mental health is a highly ignoted thing of life. One may prefer going to spa to have a dose of self care but may ignore the real self care. You rightly penned it down.
LikeLike
A change of scenery is always a huge help. That’s something I try to do when I am super busy. Even sometimes going outside is helpful.
LikeLike
I have friends that are in military families. Will pass this along to them! Great tips!
LikeLike
My husband’s nephew is a retired army vet. He did 4 tours to Iran and Afghanistan. He is still having some difficulties coping. We make it a point to keep in constant contact with him. Serving in the military is not an easy task, especially when it comes to mental and emotional health.
LikeLike
Thanks for these tips! These are helpful for those who need it.
LikeLike
Nnniiicccceeeee….”talking to someone”! That always does the trick for me. I have some people I connect with and within a few hours, I am “good to go”.
LikeLike
I love how you talk about the importance of going outside. I work inside, so I have to make it part of my day otherwise I lose my mind!
LikeLike
Stress is a contributing factor for early cardiac consitions in so many households and it kills indiscriminately. Finding ways to destress, whether physical or mental, is critical to our survival.
LikeLike