Coping with the Stresses of Military Life

Being connected to the military, whether you are serving or your loved one is, can be rewarding and meaningful. It can be stressful and overwhelming as well. Change can be the name of the game, though you may not always know what that change will be! If you feel like you are either waiting or hurrying, you aren’t alone.

Anxiety and the Unknown

There are so many changes and challenges associated with military life. One of the biggest changes can be an upcoming move or PCS. Not only is the moving stressful but most things leading up to it are as well. Where will you move? Where will you live? How are the schools there? Are there good doctors? Are the grocery stores good there? There are so many unknowns.

What can make this even more complicated is not knowing where you will be going. Planning can help to decrease anxiety, however, how do you plan if you don’t even know what State you will be living in?

The unknown can be exciting and it can be remarkably stressful. It’s no wonder that 61% of military spouses report experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

Can Therapy Help?

Dealing with military life stress can feel isolating, even though you know there are a large number of people around you experiencing similar stressors. Sometimes it can be helpful to process with other military spouses, other times not so much. Unfortunately, some spouses put on a “brave face” that can be invalidating to others. It can leave you feeling like there is something wrong with you if you are anxious or upset about things like deployments, moving, constant change etc.

While these stressors and challenges come along with military life, knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. You are allowed to be a human and have feelings about what you are experiencing.

Therapy can be a great place to:

1. Be honest. It can be hard to share how you are feeling if you are worried about judgement or being seen as “not strong enough”. You don’t have to put on a face with your therapist.
2. Take a look at all of your stressors and find validation and understanding.
3. Learn helpful skills to help you move forward and face challenges in a way that works for you.
4. Therapy can also be a great place to look at how you think about certain things and situations. If your thought processes aren’t working for you this can be changed. Many approaches in therapy address this such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

You aren’t alone and you deserve to feel like the best version of yourself.

How to Get Started

There are a lot of choices when it comes to finding a therapist and finding a prescriber if you are interested in exploring medication management. You can learn a lot of amazing skills in therapy, however, if your anxiety is so high it’s impacting your functioning, medication management may be great along with counseling. It’s hard to use skills if you feel like your anxiety is holding you hostage.

Carolina Counseling Services in Sanford, North Carolina contracts with skilled licensed therapists and psychiatric professionals that understand military life challenges. Many providers are military spouses and/or Veterans themselves.

Your mental health matters, call CCS today.

Providers are in network with most major insurances including Tricare, Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), Medicaid and many more. Online appointments are also available making it easier than ever before to get the mental health care you deserve, anywhere in North Carolina!

Jaime Johnson Fitzpatrick LCMHCS, LCAS is one of the Owners and Vice Presidents of Carolina Counseling Services. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist in the State of North Carolina as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in State of New York. Jaime is also certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and utilizes various other approaches in her practice.