Surviving under stress

Well, I have to say that the Military Spouse (mother) is one of the hardest working parents. This is probably only second to the Single parent. In recent conversations with people, the comment was made that being a military spouse is like being a single parent for at least half the year while your spouse is gone.

Now that I have been on both sides of the discussion, I would have to say that being a single parent is still much more difficult than being a military spouse, however being a military spouse still has it's drawbacks.

As a single parent, you are responsible for the financial status of your household and you do not have the emotional support of your significant other.

Being a military spouse, you still have to be responsible for EVERYTHING that maintaining your home requires. The house doesn't get cleaned, unless you clean it. Food doesn't get cooked, unless you cook it. The kids rely on you to be both their mother and their father. You have to keep up with pretty much everything in your home.

The past couple weeks have been extremely stressful for me. I recently found out that my grandfather is terminally ill with lung cancer, my son's rabbit died, my motivation for work and school has been completely lacking, and the idea of cleaning my house just makes me want to cry.

One of the benefits of being both a military spouse and a single parent is that you generally have a very good support group. My family has helped me pull through the tough times with this deployment. My neighbors have been there to help me out with whatever is needed. And as being a military spouse, you normally have the ability to join either the Family Readiness Group (FRG) or the Spouse Club.

One of the easiest things to do is to get caught up in all that you have to do, and you forget to take a little time out for you. Take a little time to read a book, go do something fun, or just watch a movie. When you are constantly on the go, your body gets worn down. The stress can cause your immune system to crash and you will be more likely to get sick.

And what I generally do is prioritize things. I look for the things that need to be done right away and what can maybe put off until the next day. The key though, is to make sure that you are actually doing the things you put off. Also, do a little bit each day.