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Deployment Is a Great Time for a Healthy Change

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by Amanda Marksmeier, Guest Contributor

No one wants to get the news a loved one is deploying. While it might be tempting to press the pause button on your life, instead press the reset button.

Deployments are the perfect excuse to reset and refocus on your health.

Everyone wants to know how to make deployment go by quickly. Our instinct is to rush through unpleasant times and circumstances. Instead of looking at a deployment as something to blitz through, use deployments as a time to set and achieve personal goals.

Deployment Is a Great Time for a Healthy Change

Whether it is incorporating meatless Mondays or taking a paddleboard yoga class I thoughtfully use deployments as a way to participate in activities which will improve my life, mind and body.

Goals Keep You Focused and Achievement Keeps You Going

I will be the first to admit, setting goals can be challenging.

If your goals are too low, you will get bored.

If they are too high, you’ll get discouraged.

What do you want to accomplish while your spouse is away? Want to form better eating habits, find balance or start exercising?

Whatever you choose, commitment to it. Decide what you need to do to achieve your goals and start preparing prior to deployment. Schedule time in your calendar to focus on your goals.

Your health is just as important as FRG coffees.

Once you have established your goals, write them down. Put them in plain sight where you will see them daily. Hang your goals on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. They will serve as a constant reminder and motivate you to keep going.

Set Realistic Goals

Saying “I want to lose 50 pounds in a month” is not only unrealistic, it is unhealthy. If your deployment goal is to lose weight talk with your health care provider and decide what is a reasonably goal.

Losing weight is like a marathon. Pace yourself and take it one day at a time.

Don’t Stay Busy, Stay Active

The thought of working out can be intimidating and exhausting, particularly if you haven’t done it in a long time. Don’t overthink it. Any movement is a step in the right direction.

If you don’t enjoy running, don’t sign up for a marathon. You’ll hate preparing for it and it will be so much easier to quit.

Find something you enjoy and start moving.

Related: How Does Tricare Work When You ‘Move Home’ for the Deployment?

Love dancing? Try a Zumba class. You can show off your mad dance skills while burning a ton of calories.

Searching for balance? Yoga can help you breathe and stretch until you find inner peace.

Frustrated over the deployment? Boxing classes are a great way to get cardio in and frustrations out.

Whatever you choose to do mark it on your calendar, invite friends to join you and get moving.

You Are Not Alone

Human beings are not meant to go through life alone. We survive and thrive in community settings.

Build a community with people who share similar interests and goals. Befriend your neighbors, parents at your child’s school or military spouses in your unit.

You will need these friendships to get through this deployment.

Be Healthy Together

Once you have established your community start scheduling healthy meals and workout dates. Find buddies who will be motivating and keep you accountable.

When we were stationed in Georgia a neighbor and dear friend used to come get me for daily walks. She didn’t give me the opportunity to say no.

Another dear friend in Tennessee would sign us up for crazy exercise classes.

I love both these women because they kept me motivated and made me accountable. I needed to be strong-armed into exercising. My friends knew this and complied.

It doesn’t matter whether you are the one motivating or the one that needs motivation, the important thing is to find accountability partners who will accomplish deployment goals with you.

Deployments can be lonely and draining especially if you only view it as a time away from your spouse. Don’t dwell on the separation.

Think of deployments as a time to focus on yourself and your goals.

If you change your focus it will change your outlook on the situation. When my husband drops the deployment news I get a bit excited thinking about the things I want to achieve while he is gone.

Whether it is incorporating meatless Mondays or taking a paddleboard yoga class I thoughtfully use this time to do activities which will improve my life, mind and body.

How will you use the next deployment to make healthy lifestyle changes?

Amanda Marksmeier is an Army wife and mother of four. She works as an employment specialist assisting the military community in achieving their career goals. Amanda is also a contributing writer for a quarterly employment journal and has written for several military affiliated blogs.

Military Families Living On-Base Worry About the Safety of Their Drinking Water

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Military families may need to add drinking water to their growing list of lifestyle-related worries and concerns. A recent report from the Department of Defense confirms that potentially hazardous chemicals are in the tap water at many military installations.

Military Families Living On-Base Worry About the Safety of Their Drinking Water

A total of 126 military installations have polluted water that could cause health problems. Are you worried about drinking the tap water at your on-base house?

These recent reports have left a stain on the current White House and Department of Defense because it looks like a cover-up might have happened.

Don’t Drink the Water at Your Military Base

Before military families go into full-on panic mode, it’s important that we know exactly what we’re dealing with or at least understand as much as we can with the information currently available.

What is the issue with the drinking water?

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) are two chemicals commonly found in everyday objects. You can find PFOS/PFOA in everything from Teflon coating to waterproofing on fabric to fast food wrappers. It was phased out of use by American manufacturers starting in May 2000.

Why are PFOS/PFOA a concern?

According to the DoD report and additional reporting by news outlets, PFOS/PFOA exposure can be harmless in small amounts. However, repeated and long-term exposure comes with a host of health complications.

Both men and women can experience impacts on fertility. Babies may be born with developmental delays. Those exposed may experience increased cholesterol levels, increased uric acid and changes in liver enzymes. There may also be changes to the immune system too.

Finally, exposure to PFOS/PFOA may have an increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancers.

As of August 2017, 401 current and former military installations have had their water tested. Of those, 90 have water samples that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) levels.

Additionally, 2,668 groundwater sources have been tested. Of those, 1,621 have PFOS/PFOA levels above the EPA’s LHA. All told, 1,711 sites have compromised water sources.

Reports also indicate that a total of 126 military installations have polluted water that could cause health problems.

The DoD’s response at this time, according to their published report, is to educate the services, investigate the use of products containing PFOS/PFOA and begin planning for cleanup operations.

Since the water was tested in 2017, why wasn’t the water contamination report released earlier?

The PFOS/PFOA report is enough to cause public concern. However, it now appears that the White House and DoD officials might have prevented the immediate release of information.

Through emails obtained by the Union of Concerned Scientists, officials at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) warned the EPA of a “public relations nightmare” when the PFOS/PFOA report was released. These emails are dated January 2018.

Reports on the water contamination were released in spring 2018.

What can military families do?

If you are living on or near an impacted installation or groundwater source, it might be time to consider changing how you drink water.

Adding a water filtration system, according to a 2016 report on Water Online, can have some impact on the levels of PFOS and PFOA in your tap water supply. However, no single system has been shown to be totally effective for both categories or related chemicals. Granular activated carbon has been shown to be the most effective filtration system, along with nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

Another option is to switch to bottled water. The Food and Drug Administration monitors bottled water manufacturers to ensures compliance with health and safety standards.

Military families should also document health concerns that might be related to PFOS/PFOA contamination. Correlating your family’s physical location with health problems that might stem from exposure to chemical contaminants is important for long-term care and solutions.

Military communities have already banded together to provide documentation of military-caused health issues due to contaminated drinking water. Current and former residents of Camp Lejeune scored a victory in this arena.

Are you stationed at a military base with unsafe drinking water? What precautions are you taking to protect your loved ones from the threat of unsafe water?

Invest in Your Career with an Affordable Master’s Degree

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the California University of Pennsylvania. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you want a degree with a 98% job placement rate?

Did you know that a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion from the California University of Pennsylvania has a 98% placement rate?

Veterans and military spouses can invest in their careers with an affordable online Master of Science in exercise science and health promotion from the California University of Pennsylvania. Cal U’s 100% online program provides a flexible higher ed option for those who think they don’t have the time or the money to earn an advanced degree.

Through this online master’s program, you can be enrolled as a graduate student while working full time.

You don’t have to choose between attending college classes and earning a paycheck.

You can study at a historic state university from the comforts of your home with your high-speed internet connection.

Cal U students are enrolled in online courses from all 50 states and from more than 20 countries, and university officials point out that many students enroll while on active duty with the military.

Did you know that Cal U was the first college to launch a 100% online master’s degree program in exercise science?

Through their interactive approach to online curriculum, Cal U students can engage fully with their professors and classmates. You won’t feel like you’re missing out because you’re logging into class from a laptop instead of sitting in a lecture hall.

Invest for Less Time, Less Money

Veterans and military spouses can earn an online master’s degree in less than 2 years and without staggering student debt.

Cal U’s master’s degree program, which includes professional certification recognized by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, can be completed in 12 to 18 months. With this streamlined approach to grad school, you can earn your master’s degree before you move to your new duty station.

The California University of Pennsylvania Office of Military and Veterans Affairs offers comprehensive support for veterans, eligible dependents, service members of the National Guard and Reserve, and active duty service members. They help veterans maximize their GI Bill benefits.

Cal U also offers discounted tuition costs for active duty members and veterans of all military branches, as well as their spouses and eligible dependents. You can find out more information about this program at its Cal U Global Online website.

Invest in a Career That Leads to Employment Opportunities

A master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion offers veterans and military spouses an investment in employment opportunities. Cal U graduates are leaders in fitness, athletics, health and wellness at companies throughout the country.

I’m amazed by the variety of jobs that you can do with a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotions.

You can work at a hospital, at a fitness company, at a health care company or with a professional sports team.

You can teach at a community college or for an online certification program.

You can work for the Department of Defense or you can be an entrepreneur.

Earning a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotions is the first step to a dynamic career.

In today’s economy, everyone is searching for an in-demand job that will give them the flexibility to work in any location around the country. Everyone hopes for a job with a competitive salary. Everyone wants to feel satisfaction at their job. Everyone wants to feel like they are contributing to their community and helping those in their community.

At least that’s what I want for my career. I also want to be in a career field with 98% placement.

Do you?

Invest in your career today by earning a Master of Science’s degree with Cal U. Click here to learn more about the California University of Pennsylvania.

DeCA Vows to Fix the Produce Prices at Pacific Commissaries

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by Amanda Marksmeier, Guest Contributor

Many military families stationed in the Pacific are being asked to sacrifice a healthy diet because of limited access to high-quality reasonably priced produce.

One reason for the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables is the changes made in how produce is acquired by overseas commissaries. In response to mounting pressure to reduce the budget, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) decided to discontinue U.S. shipments of fresh produce to Pacific commissaries.

DeCA was able to slash the budget by $48 million, but these savings are coming at the expense of our military and their families stationed in the Pacific. To provide produce at a reduced cost to the government, shipping costs were rolled into the prices and passed along to Pacific commissary customers.

A year after the contract changes were implemented complaints began to pour in regarding pricing and quality of produce. The DoD Inspector General investigated these claims. The IG discovered the new system was saving the government $38 million while costing military families in Japan and South Korea 21% to 32% more than the prior system. To make matters worse, the higher priced produce is lower in quality than the produce that is available in the local markets.

DeCA Vows to Fix the Produce Prices at Pacific Commissaries

Military families living overseas sacrifice time with their extended family and friends as well as the comforts of America. They shouldn’t have to sacrifice access to fresh quality produce too.

To address these issues DeCA Director Robert Bianchi designated a few target areas to make improvements. Some of the solutions include sending in produce specialists to work with local vendors to reduce costs and streamline inspections. Other ideas being considered are seeking more produce options including lesser quality and lower priced items and educating customers on commissary pricing.

These ideas are a good start, but more can be done to ensure our military families have access to quality reasonably priced produce.

Access to local vendors is a wonderful asset and should help alleviate some transportation costs, however, the idea of lower quality produce seems a bit absurd. Quality is a current complaint of consumers so how would a lower quality product improve the situation? Instead of “educating” consumers on commissary pricing versus local market pricing why not work with local farmers and vendors?

There is a huge movement in the United States to buy local, not only does this support the local economy but it’s environmentally friendly. The fewer miles our food travels will result in lower fuel costs, a reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Sourcing locally grown produce could help with quality as well as lower shipping and transportation costs.

One concern that stems from purchasing produce from local growers is quality control and “safety concerns.” As the DeCA Director stated there is

“no earthly idea how that thing was produced.”

Foreign countries do not have the same federal regulations and health safety guidelines as the U.S., so this is a valid concern. But here is some food for thought:

Many military families living overseas purchase produce in the local markets because of lower prices regardless of lack of regulations so they are already being exposed to “unsafe” produce.

The life expectancy of people living in Pacific countries is higher than that of Americans.

There is significant evidence to suggest that the foods people eat are related to the longevity of their lives. While safety and quality control are a concern, DeCA should do the due diligence and at least consider the possibility of buying produce from local growers.

Produce issues in the Pacific commissaries have been identified and efforts are being made to fix the problems but more can be done to ensure quality at a reasonable cost. Military families living overseas sacrifice time with their extended family and friends as well as the comforts of America – they shouldn’t have to sacrifice access to fresh quality produce too.

 Have you experienced the high price of produce at commissaries in the Pacific?

Amanda Marksmeier is an Army wife and mother of four.Amanda Marksmeier is an Army wife and mother of four. She works as an employment specialist assisting the military community in achieving their career goals. Amanda is also a contributing writer for a quarterly employment journal and has written for several military affiliated blogs.

17 Greenhouses and Garden Centers That Offer Military Discounts

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The first day of spring is March 20, and that means it’s time to get your gardening on!

There is nothing quite like the feel of warm soil on your hands. Add some quality seeds, some sun, a little water, and in just a few short months you have the freshest produce or most beautiful flowers you can imagine. And nothing quite beats the feeling you get when you can go out into your own backyard and fill a vase or basket with something you’ve grown.

Even if you have a small space, as long as you have a sunny spot, you can grow something. You can even grow fruit trees! Last year, we made the big investment and built a large raised bed garden. We planted all kinds of things: tomatoes, peppers, three different types of squash. Then there was eggplant, strawberries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, carrots and tomatillos. We had cucumbers for days and we don’t have time for me to list all of the herbs, just know that there were 6 types of basil.

To say that we may have gone overboard in our first year is probably an understatement. But it’s almost time to start planting again, and while we have pared down our harvest list, what hasn’t changed is our love of a good bargain.

Seeds aren’t expensive, per say, but when you add in all of the other things you need like potting soil, plant food, insecticide, watering cans, soaker hoses and plant supports, it can really start to add up. Knowing where you can snag a military discount is a gardener’s secret weapon.

Home Depot & Lowe’s

Both of these home and garden stores offer a 10% discount to all active duty military and veterans. You need to register in order to receive the discount, but it’s easy, and it’s a solid 10% off on everything you buy. And depending on the sale, it is often on top of sale prices.

I love Home Depot and Lowe’s for things like soil (watch for the sales!), seed starters, and materials for building trellises or vining frames. We even bought the cinder blocks we used to build our raised beds there, at a discount of course! They also offer a variety of easy to grow plants already started for you. Their selection of plants is a little limited, but you can start a pretty decent garden from what they have to offer.

Meadow Farms

Do you live in Maryland, Virginia or West Virginia? Meadow Farms has an amazing array of plants, including fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. If you’re not up for sprouting from seed, they are a great place to “stock” your garden and Meadow Farms offers a military discount.

I scoured the net to find other garden centers that offer discounts. Here’s what I found:

Live in New York?

Check out the daily discount offered by Hewitts.

Stationed in Ohio?

Get 10% off every Wednesday at Pettiti.

Snag 10% off waterscape plants and materials from Hoffmans.

Boyerts offers 10% off any one item every Wednesday.

Have PCS orders to southern California?

Get 10% off every Wednesday at Armstrong Garden Centers.

Live in the middle of the United States?

Orshlen offers 5% off every Tuesday.

Stationed in northern Maryland?

Homestead Gardens offers 10% off every Thursday.

Live in Oregon?

Wilco Farm Stores offers 10% off every day.

For military families stationed in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee:

You can save 10% at Marvin’s every day.

At participating Southern States Cooperative locations, you can get a 10% discount every Tuesday.

Need grow lights?

Want to do a little hydroponic gardening? HTGSupply offers a 10% military discount for veterans. You need to register for a veteran account with HTGSupply to receive the discount.

Live in Arizona?

Summer Winds Nursery offers a 10% discount on any one item every day.

Do you have a large yard?

John Deere offers a military discount for all current and former service members.

Live in Washington?

Jason’s Greenhouse offers a 10% discount.

Logee’s offers a 10% military discount.

Are you thinking about planting a garden this spring? Check out this article, “How to Plant a Victorious Deployment Garden.”

Keeping Supplements Safe for Service Members

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It’s impossible to turn on the television, listen to music or read online publications, without happening upon an ad for some kind of dietary supplement. Even a trip to the exchange or commissary offers supplement options, including full-fledged GNC stores operating on many military installations.

And it’s not like we just have one or two options. There are hundreds if not thousands of supplements to choose from. Some promise help with weight loss, others with building muscle mass. There are supplements for better sleep, better digestion, stress relief, bone and heart health, and even better sex.

Given all the promises that these products have to offer, it is understandable why so many service members would turn to supplements. Long hours, expectations for physical and mental endurance, and competition for promotion and awards pushes many to consider any option for even a small competitive edge.

But how can a service member be sure that the supplements they are taking are safe?

And how can service members ensure that the supplements they are taking don’t contain any one of a number of restricted substances banned by military guidelines and tested for in routine urinalyses?

The common sense answer is, talk to your doctor and do your research before buying and taking any dietary supplement.

Many of us will search of any number of supplement information online before talking with our doctors. Have you searched online for this information? Try it now. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Chance are, any online search produces hundreds and hundreds of pages, most touting the benefits of said supplement. Before and after pictures offer proof of a supplement’s effectiveness and countless endorsements make it appear that you’ve found the miracle pill that will make you run faster, grow stronger or stay sharp for hours on end.

Should you trust these claims? How much is marketing fluff designed to make you spend your money on a magical pill?

You might not know it, but there is a trusted source you can use to find out more about the supplements you are taking and how to use them both effectively and safely. It’s called: Operation Supplement Safety.

After several instances of harmful supplements being sold on military installations, the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs put out a request for the creation of a dedicated resource for members of the DoD community. In 2012 Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) was born.

OPSS was created by the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP), a Defense Center of Excellence department at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Its mission is to both educate and protect members of the DoD community by providing “evidence-based, up-to-date information on dietary supplements.”

And its efforts to promote awareness and safety are further enhanced by its industry partnerships with agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

As part of OPSS’s ongoing efforts and community partnerships, the supplements sold in commissaries and exchanges must be vetted against a list of supplements and ingredients included on the DoD’s list of banned or prohibited substances.

This means that if you buy on-post or online through the exchange, you can trust the products you are buying.

Additionally, the OPSS website is a treasure trove of information on how to use supplements safely and effectively. For example, want to know how to safely use caffeine to help “boost your mental and physical performance?” Check out this infographic created by OPSS.

Want to check the ingredients of your supplements against the banned ingredient list? Here’s a chart that lists all of these substances and the dangers associated with them.

We still live in a time of buyer beware, but it’s nice to know that when it comes to our health, there is one place we can trust to get the information we need.

Do you buy dietary supplements? Why do you buy and take them?

10 Ways Busy Military Families Can Eat Healthy Meals Together

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January is a great time to revamp your family meals.

Military families are often very busy and eating healthy meals together should be one thing we all fit in time for.

Many people have New Year’s resolutions to be healthier. I’m one of those and you probably are as well. Being healthy starts in the kitchen with good food to fuel your body. Here are 10 tips to help your busy family eat healthy meals together.

10 Ways Busy Military Families Can Eat Healthy Meals Together

Plan your meals for the week. Consider what activities your family has going on during the week so you know how much time you have to cook and eat a healthy meal.

Buy fresh ingredients. Try to do your grocery shopping along the outer rim of the commissary where all the fresh ingredients are. Stay away from sugary, high sodium and high fat products masked by clever marketing on boxed goods in the center aisles.

Try a home delivery service such as Blue Apron or have your groceries delivered to your home from your local grocery store. There will be periods where you don’t have time to run to the commissary. There will be moments where you run out of ideas of what to cook. In these instances, a home delivery service can be a great option for healthy meals that you can make at home.

10 Ways Busy Military Families Can Eat Healthy Meals Together

Making healthy meals for your military family starts in your kitchen.

Cook together. This is especially important for children. Research has shown that children eat healthier when they are part of the cooking process. They are also more likely to try new things and they build confidence in the kitchen while learning new skills.

Use your Crockpot or Instapot. Both of these are game changers for busy military families. You don’t always have time to cook healthy meals on busy nights. This is when planning ahead comes into play. When your family has a lot going on, a Crockpot or Instapot dinner can save the day and your sanity.

Shake things up. Eat on the patio if it’s a nice night. Make a picnic in the living room one afternoon. Pack a lunch and go to the park.

Make time to eat healthy meals together. You might all have different activities going on, but you still have to eat. Try to schedule dinner at a time that everyone can be together. This might mean that on one day you eat at 4 p.m. and on another you don’t eat until 7 p.m. Many families do that.

It’s eating together that is important, not the time that you eat dinner.

Dinner time is a special time where family members get to catch up on each other’s day.

Try new things. We all get into the rut of making the same things over and over again. I have an entire bookshelf of cookbooks but find myself making the same recipes. Recently I’ve started watching cooking videos on Facebook as well as looking up recipes on Pinterest. Pick up a new cookbook, ask friends for recipes or look up new meal ideas online.

Do a recipe swap with friends. This goes along with trying new things. I’ve been in groups that have made cookbooks. See if one of the clubs your child is in has made one. Talk to your friends or coworkers and see if they would like to swap healthy recipes. You can make your own file or download a recipe app for your phone.

Commit to eating healthy meals. All of the tips above mean nothing if you don’t actually follow through. Sure it’s OK to go out to eat every now and again or to have a night you order pizza in. Don’t let that turn into a habit. Remember your New Year’s resolution to eat healthy meals and to be a healthier person.

Tired of the same boring meals? Browse MilitaryShoppers’ recipe database for fresh ideas for your meals this month.

5 Organizational Tips for Military Life

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a military spouse, it’s to be organized.

Military life is full of challenges and being prepared and organized can make things so much easier. It’s a new year and we are all making resolutions. If yours is to be more organized, here are 5 tips to get you on track.

5 Organizational Tips for Military Life

Being organized will help reduce the stresses of military life.

5 Organizational Tips for Military Life

Minimize

It’s much easier to stay organized when you have fewer things to organize. I don’t like having clutter, especially paper clutter. A great idea is to open mail and immediately dispose of what you don’t need and file what you do need to keep. Have a specific place to put bills. Once they’re paid, file or shred them. Don’t leave papers out.

Pro-tip: Go paperless whenever possible.

It isn’t just paper that needs to be minimized. I remember shopping with my grandmother when I was little. When I found something I liked she would say

“do you need it or do you want it?”

I still think about that question when shopping and that keeps me from buying things I don’t need. Military families move so often and packing and unpacking can be daunting. Do you really want to move with so many things?

Minimizing the amount of things you own can help you stay organized. I keep a box for donations in my room. When I come upon something I don’t use, I drop it in there and take the box to the donation center when it’s full. If you do this regularly, when it’s time to PCS you won’t have as many things to go through before the packers come to your house.

You’ll also have more room in your closet for clothes you actually wear and your kids will have space for toys they really play with.

File

There are plenty of things you can’t get rid of though, including documents. I have a file box for my husband and myself as well as one for the kids. Paperwork that needs to be saved goes in their proper place as soon as I’ve gone through them. This includes insurance information, school transcripts and tax paperwork.

I also recommend creating a file or folder with important documents. This could have your marriage license, birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, military orders, power of attorney, a printout of a LES, car titles, insurance information, important contact information, a copy of your will and more in it. These items are in my go-to file. It is so much faster to have everything in one spot when you need things in a hurry.

Prep

Being in a hurry happens a lot in military life. Planning ahead makes things go smoothly. I feel much better when I am prepared for moves, deployments and everyday life.

Don’t let yourself get stressed out. Make the time to get your thoughts organized. Do you have a PCS coming up? Will your spouse be deploying soon? Is your week going to be busy?

Prepare yourself for these things by thinking about what you need to do for each. If your spouse is deploying list the things you need them to do before they go and don’t wait until the last minute to do them.

If you’re moving this year, you’ll want to prep for the move.  Do as much as you can ahead of time. Start thinning out things you don’t need, gather things that you will need for the move and look into the area that you’re moving to.

If you have a busy week, make sure you’re prepared for it. Plan your meals for the week. Use your slow cooker for easy dinners. Make sure backpacks, diaper bags and lunches are packed the night before.

Delegate

You might feel like you have to do everything, but you don’t have to do it all yourself. Share the responsibility with your children. Kids of all ages can help around the house. Our 4 year old is in charge of feeding the dog and setting the table. If you have older kids, they can do laundry, empty the dishwasher and walk the dog. Everyone can help make dinner too. Children can even pack their own lunches.

If you are moving, have the kids declutter their room. Let them organize their toys. Put them in charge of preparing their things to be packed. Make them feel part of the process.

Reset

When my husband says he’s going to bed, he goes to bed.

When I say I’m going to bed, it never happens that I just go to bed. I always see something that needs to be done. I started thinking of it as resetting the house. This is basically tidying up the house so that I come down to a nicely organized space in the morning. This includes picking up things in the living room, putting away the dishes that dried, setting out items for breakfast and putting bags by the door.

Resetting can also be for your mind. Don’t go to bed with a million things on your mind. Review what you need to do before you go to bed so that when your head hits the pillow you fall asleep.

If you do some of these things to get organized, you’ll find your military life is more enjoyable and less stressful.

What do you do to keep your family organized?

The Stigma of Mental Health and the Military Spouse

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Every little thing, from the endless crying of the baby to one dish being out of place, caused me to fly into a rage. When I wasn’t angry, I was deeply sad and sobbing. The walls felt like they were closing in and my chest felt tight. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see a way out of the deep hole of depression.

It felt like I just couldn’t admit I was weak or that I needed help. I’d heard all of those saying about military spouses and strength. I was supposed to be the backbone of our family, keeping it all together when everything was falling apart.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, out of sorts or just generally not yourself mentally and emotionally?

You are not alone. Approximately 30% of military spouses suffer from mental illness.

After I had my first child, I went deep into the postpartum depression rabbit hole. I didn’t want to upset the delicate balance of our lives, so I delayed seeking help until it was so severe I couldn’t function in my daily life.

Instead of talking about it, I drank much more than I should have. I used exercise to relieve stress obsessively. My weight and running times became unhealthy fixations. Most of all, I’m only just now, years later, realizing just how bad it was and how far I had gone. I’m so thankful I was able to claw my way out.

While I’m mostly “better” I will always struggle with mental health and I know that. I’m anxious about nonsense things or blow trivial matters out of proportion. Jumping to the worst possible scenario is pretty common for me in most challenging situations. I am painfully aware of what I say and how it could come across. There is a constant worry about how I might be perceived.

There is a stigma for military spouses struggling with mental health.

“How can that be? You’re literally telling the whole entire world about your struggles,” you might ask. You wouldn’t be wrong either.

But writing is different than in-person sharing. I’m hidden behind a screen and these words are typed not spoken.

The Stigma of Mental Health and the Military Spouse

Do you think there is a stigma around mental health struggles as a military spouse?

Military spouses who struggle with mental health often remain hidden. After all, we must be the backbone, the support system, for our whole family. We are the constant for our children who are often missing their other parent. Military spouses must handle everything that comes their way, mostly far from home and with an often-rotating support network of friends.

There is no fallback plan, no option for retreat. So most of us slog onward, dealing with our emotional battles in any way we can.

We self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. According to a recent study, almost 70% of military spouses had an alcoholic drink during a given month. Over 30% of those who drank were binge drinking. Others were smoking pot or using illegal drugs. Of course, some of these substances could have been used recreationally. But many military spouses drown their sorrows with a few glasses of wine or several beers every night.

You don’t want to talk about it or ask for help. There could be the perception of weakness or of taking needed resources away from deployable troops. Asking for help could draw unwanted attention or scrutiny to yourself, it could cause your service member to lose focus on the mission. Above all, you are supposed to be able to handle this.

There is no shame in asking for help.

I know this now. There are places to seek help readily available through “official” channels as well as completely confidential outlets.

A great place to start is with your chaplain or the Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) assigned to your duty station or unit. Chaplains serve all members of the military community. There are religious leaders from all sects and faith backgrounds, Christian and non-Christian alike. If you are religious, starting here could be a positive first step.

MFLCs are available to all military service members and their dependents. There are MFLCs assigned to all bases, with many locations hosting multiple counselors. Contact your unit FRO to connect with your local MFLC. Your sessions are off the books completely. Literally, no notes can or will be taken at any time. There is no record of what you discuss or even that you have been counseled. Best of all, many MFLCs keep flexible hours and can meet you both on and off base.

Another option is to seek counseling services through Military OneSource. Simply call the hotline and ask to speak to a representative about mental health counseling. There are a few criteria in place in order to receive services, but they try their best to meet your needs.

I used this service in 2014 and 2015 for postpartum depression. I was able to see a therapist just a few blocks from my home during evening hours, which made it super convenient for me. Best of all, this was 100% cost-free.

For those who need something other than talk therapy, please seek help from a medical professional. If you use Tricare, your PCM can provide at least an initial diagnosis and treatment plan. Your doctor might refer you to a specialist or other medical professional to seek further treatment for your specific mental health concerns.

I also used this route. My PCM was quickly able to diagnose me with postpartum depression and prescribed me anti-depressants to help regulate my emotions.

I know now that true strength comes from seeking help when needed, and offering help to those in need. No matter who you see first, if you are suffering from mental illness, prolonged sadness, thoughts of self-harm or other mental health concerns, please seek help right away. There is no shame in asking for help.

Do you think there is a stigma around mental health struggles as a military spouse? Share your thoughts in the comments.

What Military Families Need to Know About the Flu Vaccine

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It’s that time of year again, flu season.

Have you and your family gotten the flu vaccine yet?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months gets the flu vaccine.

What Military Families Need to Know About the Flu Vaccine

Don’t let your fear of needles keep you from getting this year’s flu vaccine.

Here are the details you need to know about getting the flu vaccine as a military family.

Tricare pays for the flu vaccine, but they have strict guidelines that you must follow in order for your insurance to cover the cost.

The nasal spray that you or a family member may have gotten last year is not available this year. If you want the flu vaccine, you’ll have to get the injectable treatment. Here are 3 ways to get the flu vaccine and have it covered by Tricare.

How to Get the Flu Vaccine for Free Through Tricare

Visit a military hospital or clinic. You should call ahead and make sure that the flu vaccine is available. Some clinics have certain hours that walk-in vaccinations are done and some require an appointment. Active duty service members have priority so prepare yourself for a possible wait.

Visit an in-network pharmacy. You can search on Tricare’s website to find a local participating network pharmacy or you can call the Tricare line at (877) 363-1303.

Last December the Tricare retail pharmacy network changed so you may not be able to go to the same pharmacy you went to for your flu vaccine previously. Make sure you check if your pharmacy of choice is in network now.

For example, last year you might have gone to the CVS pharmacy in Target. Tricare no longer uses CVS. They switched to Walgreens.

You can also get your flu vaccine at Walmart, Kroger and Rite Aid to name a few.

Before heading to the pharmacy, call first. You’ll need to make sure a pharmacist will be available to give the flu vaccine, as Tricare will only cover the cost if it is given by a pharmacist.

If you get the flu vaccine by someone at an onsite clinic that is not a pharmacist, you may have to pay the full price of the flu vaccine.

Make sure when you talk to them to ask what hours the pharmacist will be available to give shots and if there is an age restriction. Some pharmacy policies do not allow them to give the flu vaccine to children under a certain age.

Visit a Tricare authorized provider. If you don’t have a primary physician, you can find a doctor through Tricare’s website. Note that you will be subject to your Tricare plan when going to see a doctor. This means you might have a copay or cost share for the visit. The shot however will be covered.

Active duty service members that do not want to get their flu vaccine from their primary care provider will need a referral to get one elsewhere.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville is offering the flu vaccine at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Commissary on November 14 and 15.

If you are hesitant to getting the flu vaccine, remember that getting the shot is the first step you can take to protect yourself from the flu. It is required for all active duty, selected reserves and health care workers.

While everyone over the age of 6 months is recommended to get the flu vaccine, it is particularly recommended for pregnant women and people who suffer from chronic health problems such as diabetes and emphysema.

Don’t let being scared of a shot keep you from getting the flu vaccine. The flu is very contagious being spread by physical contact, coughing and sneezing. If you get the flu, you may have mild to severe sickness that could land you in a hospital. Make sure to wash your hands often to prevent the spread of this illness.

Now that you know how to get the flu vaccine for free, make time to get it done and protect yourself and your family.

What questions do you have about getting your flu shot?