Fort Campbell, KY – The holidays can be a great time to reconnect with family and friends, but they also can present challenges, especially for service members and their families coping with invisible wounds and other personal and family stressors.
A great way to cope with the stressors of the season is to prepare mentally for the potential challenges ahead. Understand that your daily routine has likely undergone drastic changes, including deployment, family separation, and other stressful and anxiety-ridden activities. However, for your family and friends who haven’t experienced these things, they may not understand what you’re going through, and they may ask questions.
To prepare, create a plan and think ahead about how you will respond to situations or conversations that may make you feel uncomfortable. Reaching out for assistance with stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Commander Col. Sam Preston recently shared some tips for managing holiday stress at the Fort Campbell Community Town Hall. “Holiday stress exists,” he said. “Aside from financial and family stresses all Americans feel, military families also may be stationed far from their homes or due to deployments. We need to take care of one another.”
Preston’s tips include:
- Stay within your means and maintain realistic, manageable expectations of yourself.
- If drinking has become a problem, recognize it, and seek help.
- Be wary of social media, which can be associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and general distress, specifically in this really divided time right now. Be mindful of these things during this time and if you need help for family members specifically, you do not need a referral to seek behavioral health support – For family members there’s no referral required. You do not need to go to your primary care provider to get a referral. That is a benefit for our family members and children.
For our service members, you have chaplains that are ready and available to listen who can help you and your soldiers get to behavioral health, or you have behavioral health officers within your unit or command.
It is important to take necessary steps to care for yourself and your family prior to when stressful times arise. “Please do not wait till the wheels fly off and something bad happens before you seek help,” concluded Preston.
According to the Military Health System website, health.mil, here are some additional ways to mitigate the stressors of the season:
Holiday Stress Healthy Options
- Set realistic, manageable expectations of yourself.
- Prioritize what’s important to you and your family, and focus on them.
- Create a suitable budget for the holiday season, and remember that good memories made together can bring joy.
- Think through questions that may make you feel uncomfortable, and decide how you will answer them before they are asked.
- Be patient with family members who ask questions, as they are likely just curious and want to learn more about your experience.
- Identify typical causes of stress and be prepared to cope with them.
- Maintain a healthy balance between socializing and downtime.
Numerous community services are available for support. Scan the QR code for more information.
Behavioral Health Resource Links include:
- BACH Behavioral Health Services
- BACH Child and Behavioral Health Services
- Clarksville Vet Center
- Mental Health Phone Apps for Veterans and Family
- Doctors on Demand – Humana Military
While holiday stress is a real thing, using the proper tools and resources that are available can help everyone spend happy and healthy times with friends and loved ones during the season with minimal stress and anxiety.
