Deployment and how to embrace it as a military spouse

Deployment is a scary, challenging time for everyone. Even though they are emotionally and mentally demanding, they can also bring about unique opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery for military wives.

They can feel daunting and overwhelming, and they don’t get any easier, but they can lead to a lot of personal development and empowerment.

In this blog post, we will look into the journey of personal growth that military wives often embark upon during this time. We will also discuss valuable strategies to help navigate this transformative period with resilience and strength.

I will show you that you can become more resilient and confident, ready for the next adventure in your life.

Deployment, the military spouse and embracing change

Deployment often brings sudden changes and disruptions to the daily routine of military wives.

From managing household responsibilities, to making crucial decisions independently, adaptability becomes a fundamental skill.

Instead of resisting change, it is important to embrace it as an opportunity for personal growth. This process allows military wives to become more resilient, flexible, and adept at handling unexpected situations.

Deployment and developing self-reliance

Deployments often give military wives the opportunity to develop a sense of independence and self-reliance.

You may find yourself trying something new such as house repairs.

I learnt a lot about cooking while my husband was on deployment.

I had to make decisions about my career without having anyone to talk it through with, and sort out all the childcare arrangements.

This made me a more confident person as I had to be reliant on myself for the kids. It made me feel empowered, and gave me a greater sense of adaptability in the way I do things.

By embracing these new roles you can foster your own personal growth by boosting your confidence and expanding your skill set.

As I have said before, expanding your skill set can be a massive boost to your self-esteem, as it shows that you can turn your hand to lots of different things, things that you haven’t done before.

Deployment and pursuing personal goals and education

Deployment periods offer an opportunity for military wives to invest in personal growth by pursuing their own goals and aspirations.

Let’s look at education first.

When my husband was deployed, I had a bit more time which I could invest in myself and pursue my own interests. Not much more time as I was also dealing with the kids and the day to day stuff, but a little bit more time.

One thing that I did do was I took up an old hobby of mine from many years ago. This allowed me to learn new skills in the hobby and put them to good use. Time flew by as I was doing something that I loved and I spent ages researching and trying new techniques. By practicing what I learnt I had more self-confidence in myself.

Goals and the military spouse

Goals are another important weapon to have in the military spouse armoury. With deployments, it is hard to know what you want to do, and you can end up feeling lost. This makes goal setting for those times so much more important. They can help you to embrace the deployment and come out the other end.

You might decide that you would like to learn a new topic or course online during that time. That is what I did. I enrolled on a few courses through New Skills Academy, where I could learn at my own pace. I set a time limit on when I wanted to finish it by, as I knew that if I left it as a vague ending, I would never complete it.

Within that big deadline I set weekly deadlines for each module which gave me the determination and perseverance to continue. I chose courses that are close to my heart and that I had wanted to do for a long time. They are also lifetime access, so I can go back to them again and again if I want to.

These personal goals gave me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. As well as enhancing my self-confidence they also helped me to establish a strong foundation for my own personal growth beyond deployment. I learnt things that I can use again and again in my life.

Developing a supportive community

During deployments, connecting with other military spouses can be invaluable.

Building a support network provides a sense of belonging and allows spouses to share their experiences, challenges, and triumphs with others who understand.

It can be more difficult if you are married unaccompanied like I was.

I had to turn to online communities and social media platforms to help me find like-minded individuals who could offer advice, empathy, and friendship.

These other spouses are the ones who have been, or are going through similar experiences, so they totally get what you are going through.

Building these connections not only provides emotional support but also helps your own personal growth through sharing experiences and learning from others.

Get the family involved

One thing that is tough is talking about deployment to your family, and especially your kids.

My kids were quite young when we went through a deployment for the first time. They struggled to understand why he wasn’t coming back for months on end.

To make it easier, we created a deployment wall together. This showed information like our time, his time, days left to go, a map showing where he was and we we were, and pictures of us. As the days went by, we changed the number of days left to go, sort of like a countdown.

It gave us a visual of what was happening. I couldn’t change it, but I wanted to make it easier for them to cope with.

Final thoughts

Deployment is undoubtedly a challenging experience for military wives. But it can also be a transformative journey of personal growth.

The one thing I have learnt over the years is being flexible is key. It is key to your sanity as a military spouse and it is key to embracing the lifestyle.

Other in the civilian world don’t understand the struggles and the issues that we go through every day, so by talking to them about it you might make them understand it a little bit more.

It can be hard to get out there and meet people when your husband is deployed. I knew that I had to get out of the house with my kids and go to local groups just to meet new people and let the kids socialise. Some groups I liked, others I didn’t. But that is the same everywhere.

As a military spouse we have it harder as we are moving around a lot and don’t form the close knit friendships that we would if we were in one place. But deployment is a chance to try new things.

By embracing the unique opportunities presented by deployment, military wives can emerge from the experience with newfound strength, resilience, and personal growth that extends far beyond their role as military spouses.