How have you overcome the stress of transition?

SGT Ben Keen — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:03:43 -0400

Feeding off a comment I made on another thread and since it is Suicide Awareness Month, I think we have a chance to discuss the different ways those of us that have transition have successfully dealt with the stress of transitioning.

We all have a good idea of what these stressers are. Trying to find a job. Trying to secure a good living location for you and/or your family. Trying to learn how to act around others. Dealing with medical appointments and delays within the VA Health System. Learning to fit in again. Dealing with friends and family who grew up knowing us to act one way but don't understand how our service in the military changed us. These and so much more can and have resulted in Veterans facing a lot of stress upon leaving the service.

I'm not trying to compare the stress of combat to the stress of transition; there is no way to compare the two. The stress of each are as different as how we combat them. Yet, we all have or will face them soon. So what have you done to help overcome them? Did you find a new hobby to help you decompress when needed? Did you start working as a volunteer with an organization to help fill the time? Have you reached out to a battle buddy and voice your concerns? Have you joined a Veterans Support Organization to help find different ways to help combat the stresses of going green-to-suit?

The ways to deal with this stress differ just as much as our different jobs in the military differed. I don't think there is one "golden plan" that works for every Veteran. Each person needs to account for what is going on in his/her own area of operation and evaluate what course of action is best. Yet, the ideas of what we did should be shared because maybe through those ideas, someone will see a way to fit that into their plan and be better off for it.

Response by LTC Chad Storlie made Sep 17 at 2014 11:48 AM

LTC Chad Storlie — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:48:04 -0400

Stress mitigation is best done through intense exercise, time with family, great diet, no alcohol, no drugs, no smoking, and minimal non-productive electronic use (gaming, TV, etc). I believe that breathing exercises, positive visualization, rehearsal visualization, and other techniques are all a benefit. In order to truly benefit, you need a very strict daily schedule to ensure you remain on track with all the important items.