Tips For Surviving Deployment How to Contact Us Family Outreach

• Email your spouse often and let SAN DIEGO ARMED SERVICES YMCA
him/her know what’s going on.
• Share your feelings with friends “Serving Those Who Serve America”
and family.
• Keep a deployment journal.
• If you are new to this area, Call or email us at: Surviving
make an effort to get to know Deployment:
your neighbors – they may be-
come a great support.
(858) 751-5755 A Rainbow of
• Take advantage of all the free
Monday - Friday
8:00 am to 4:30 pm Emotions
opportunities in the city – go to
the beach or Seaworld. Balboa familyoutreach@asymcasd.org
has free museum nights on Tues-
days! Ask to speak with a
• Start a new hobby or project. Family Outreach Social
• Be healthy – make sure you are Worker.
getting enough sleep, eating
right, and exercising regularly. We will schedule an
appointment that is
Help Is Here
convenient for you.
Sometimes, we SAN DIEGO ARMED SERVICES YMCA What can you expect during a
need extra help to 3293 Santo Rd. deployment?
get through a San Diego, CA 92124
Phone: 858-751-5755
deployment and Fax: 858-751-5769
here at the
ASYMCA, we have social workers
www.militaryymca.com You may experience a wide
available to support you during range of emotions
deployment. Take advantage of this free including: depression, grief,
in-home counseling program! guilt, anger, and anxiety.
CFC # 72720
The First Week of Deployment
You may experience a wide range of
emotions and that is completely
normal. It may feel like the
depression will last forever, but for
most of us, about a month later, you
will be able to fall into a
regular routine and live life again!
PAIN
“It was an excruciating pain – none like any
other pain I’ve yet to experience. It was painful
to let go of my husband who left so quickly and
without hesitation.”
DEPRESSION
“I felt like the world was crumbling down be-
fore me. The days have been a blur and I feel
like I’m living in a sort-of nightmare. Everything
is slow and I don’t feel like doing anything.”
GRIEF
“It feels like a mourning/grieving process. Even
though he hasn’t died, it feels as if you’ve lost
him. Sometimes it feels like he’s too busy, too
detached from you – you can’t see him or touch
him and that makes the reality of our relation-
ship tenuous.”
The First Week of Deployment
GUILT
“The guilt is there – creeping up on you when you’re
enjoying a nice dinner with family and thinking
about him on the 36 hour flight with no food being
served on the air force plane. When people ask
you to go out, there is that hesitation – do I really
want to have fun without him here?”
HOPELESSNESS
“There has to be a process of letting go, surrender-
ing control over things you had control over before.
There is no longer control over when I get to call my
husband. It’s that waiting game – anticipating a call
from him all day long. It’s surrendering to the whims
of that satellite phone which has poor reception &
that unpredictable connection which can hang up on
you at any given moment.”
ANXIETY
“There’s a hyper vigilance that comes with deploy-
ment. And when he tells you to pray for his safety –
your mind wonders – what does he mean? If he’s
asking for prayers for his safety it must be more
dangerous than I thought. I can’t seem to relax or
enjoy this moment because my mind is elsewhere.”
ANGER
“With the loss of control comes anger and resent-
ment toward the government, the military and even
toward your own husband. Why does this have to
happen to me? To us? Why does it have to be so
long? Why does it have to be so difficult? There’s a
lot of Why’s running through my mind.”
A Month Later...
“Almost a month later, I’m surprised to find myself
feeling okay. With time, I’ve found myself feeling
comfortable being independent and finding time to
do the things I couldn’t do if he were here – like
having the time to meet up with all my girl friends
and go home to see my parents all the time. I guess
it took some time, but I think I’m going to make it!”
And Months Later...
“I feel okay, gotten used to being alone. But I find
myself surprised at those quiet moments when it hits
me hard – that he’s gone and I haven’t seen him in
such a long time. It’s a scary thought that when he’s
back, will things go back to normal?”
Homecoming!
“I think the homecoming was actually just as stressful
if not even more stressful than the first week of de-
ployment. The last month was a real rollercoaster.
His homecoming date got pushed back I think about
5 times, maybe more – I lost count. It was frustrating
to feel eager and excited and then have those
hopes dashed. I really thought I was going to go
crazy. The reunion was surreal, odd, and anti-
climactic. But a week later – it feels like we’ve been
together forever and that he never even left.”