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mental health

Making Space at the Table

by | Dec 21, 2019 | , ,

When I was in high school, I used to pride myself on how filled the calendar pages of December were—events and deadlines coordinated by color. Busy equaled success and accomplishment.

But now, as I look at my calendar for December, I realize just how quickly January and 2020 are approaching and 2019 slipped through my grasp. All of the events and deadlines on my calendar no longer fill me with pride, but rather with an unwanted desire for this season to be over so I can simply move on to the next (hopefully) less busy season (spoiler alert: it won’t be less busy).

Mindfulness: The Key to Building Your Presence

by | Dec 20, 2019 | , , ,

Military life is beautiful, exciting, heartbreaking, and exhausting all at once. From OCONUS to CONUS moves, trainings that seem so frequent it all just becomes a blur, to deployments that go by at a snail’s pace. On what feels like a rare occasion, when you and your spouse get downtime to sit and chat, have you ever reflected on all that you’ve been through as a military family?

Hope For The Warriors is here to tell you that you are resilient. Need proof? Just look at the number of curtains you have accumulated from all the moves. Life in the military, whether you are an active-duty service member, veteran, or family member, necessitates resilience.

Plotting a Course to Gratitude

by | Dec 5, 2019 | , ,

You know those people who always seem to find something to complain about?

You know those people who always seem to find something positive in every situation?

Maybe you’re one of them—quick to catastrophize or let a moment turn into a bad day or always encouraging others to find good. Perhaps you have the patience of Job.

Did you know that our thoughts literally wire our brains? They create connections as synapses form—perhaps they start off like deer trails in the underbrush, difficult to see and follow, but before you know it, if you don’t guard your thoughts, that path has become a newly opened toll road and you have an express pass, quickly getting you from Point A to Point B.

But is it worth the cost?

Stopping Father Time

by | Dec 3, 2019 | , , ,

Most hospitals have a certain smell to them. I think it’s a combination of bleach, sweat, blood, and tears.

Did you know that the sense of smell is the strongest of the five senses connected to memory? So, maybe as I walk through the hospital I’m reminded of my own personal and frequent time spent in the hospital as a child, then later in life due to procedures related to my endometriosis and as a mother giving birth.

Today, was not about me though. It was about a family member who had cancer removed from his body. A family member who was given that ugly diagnosis of cancer several months earlier.

AWTR Show #710: Coping with Anxiety

by | Dec 2, 2019 |

Author, speaker, and military spouse Ginger Harrington has experienced many transitions in 24 years of military life. Adjusting to change has never come easily for her, the author of the award-winning book Holy in the Moment. Job, health, parenting, marriage, or location changes can create stress and ignite anxiety. Sharing her story of battling anxiety in military moves with heart and humor, Ginger encourages women with practical strategies and spiritual wisdom for living settled in a transitory life. As the publishing director for Planting Roots: Strength to Thrive in Military Life, Ginger is thrilled to help military spouses share their stories through blogs, Bible studies, and devotionals. Tune in to hear Ginger discuss overcoming fear, anxiety, and stress during military transitions. 

10 Tips for Handling the “Holiday Blues”

by | Nov 20, 2019 | , ,

For many service members, veterans, and their families, the holidays are a great time of laughter, cheer, and togetherness. However, we also know that for some of us, the holidays can be a difficult time.

We may remember family members, friends, and battle buddies who are no longer with us to celebrate the season. Although we feel the loss all year long, these feelings of sadness and loss are heightened during the holidays. This can mean an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms. If you experience these types of emotions during the holidays, please be honest with yourself and take the necessary actions to reduce stress.

To start, try your best to prevent an increase in levels of stress and depression. An article released by the Mayo Clinic recommends several tips to help prevent and reduce stress and depression during the holiday season

AWTR Show #708: Vets Don’t Forget Vets

by | Nov 11, 2019 |

William Shuttleworth is a 72-year-old retired educator and Air Force veteran living in Massachusetts. He left his home on May 15, 2019, to walk across America in an effort to raise awareness for American veterans via the campaign Vets Don’t Forget Vets. He arrived in San Diego on Sept. 1, 2019, completing the trek of 3,300 miles in 115 days. During his journey, he focused on sharing information about veteran suicide, homelessness, health care, policies, and set out to raise $100,000 for Disabled American Veterans.

AWTR Show #699: Hope For The Warriors

by | Aug 19, 2019 |

Hope For The Warriors was founded by military families stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in 2006 as they witnessed firsthand the effects war imparts on service members and their families. This organization believes those touched by military service can succeed at home by restoring their sense of self, family, and hope. Nationally, Hope For The Warriors provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources. In this episode, Brianne Sampson of HFTW will discuss how the nonprofit specifically targets issues that come with PTSD.

10 Ways to Overcome PCS Stress

by | Jun 10, 2019 | , ,

PCS season got you feeling stressed? We’ll have you releasing some tension in no time with these tried-and-true stress-relief techniques. Pro tip: Many of these ideas work exceptionally well for other military-life-stress-inducing situations!

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