Stay Busy When Your Son or Daughter is Deployed

My son has not even left yet and already I am preoccupied with his deployment next month! I am now Army Mom because I cannot seem to be anything else effectively. Tears come easily when I think about my son flying an Army helicopter in a dangerous place. I can’t help it!

I chatted with several other, more experienced Army Moms, asking for advice on what to do! How to handle this deployment stuff. They all told me the same exact thing: STAY BUSY!

So I am! I am so busy now that I have no time to do anything extra. This is a good thing. My advice to you during your child’s deployment is STAY BUSY! What can you do? Here are some ideas to stay busy and take your mind off the most important thing in your life.

• Read more books. Start hanging out at the library or bookstore.
• Start an at-home business (I did and love it!)
• Start exercising. If you already exercise, change things up. Take a new exercise class you never tried before or do an at-home fitness program. When you exercise, “feel-good” endorphins are released by your brain (which makes a person feel good). I exercise everyday.
• Join a hiking group. This is a great way to get exercise and be with positive minded people.
• Be a volunteer. There are many volunteer opportunities everywhere. I volunteer at an animal shelter and it’s the best day of the week for me. Those adorable dogs don’t know it, but they help me much more than I help them!
• Bike to work.
• Go to the farmer’s market.
• Grow a garden.
• Go for a scenic drive and take in the beauty.
• Learn how to eat better – get a book on nutrition or take a nutrition class. When you are under stress, you need to be as healthy as possible. If you eat poorly while under stress, things will just get worse.
• Participate in a race/walk. Then you have something to plan for and look forward to.
• Connect with other Army Moms.
• Start a support group.
• Go shopping (don’t spend too much!)
• Contact a old friend.
• Find a new job.
• Change careers.
• Take a trip.
• Send care packages to your soldier (send enough to share with everyone)
• Keep a daily journal.
• Start a blog.
• Make a scrapbook of favorite pictures of your soldier.’

There are many other ways to stay busy! Leave a comment about how you stay busy during your child’s deployment )