As military families, we go through some very unplanned and unexpected events and times in our lives. And although we learn and grow and become more resilient during these times, it doesn’t mean the rollercoaster of life doesn’t still toss us around.
Recently, our family had some PCS hurdles to jump over thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic . We were scheduled to move out about 10 days before the travel ban was set into place. We had just bought a house, and everything was scheduled and prepped to go.
A day or two after we closed on our house, everything was stopped.
We had to figure out our living arrangements, and fast. Our landlord had already found new tenants for the home we were moving out of. Luckily our landlord worked with us to stay a bit longer. We had to figure out how we would pay for rent and a mortgage.
While the PCS hurdles were just the main problems, others arose, too. It’s easy to let my mind go toward the negative side of thinking, but I try to keep up the habit of making a daily mental gratitude list to keep things in perspective.
I’m not perfect with doing it, but if it weren’t for this small habit (and for me personally my faith), I would’ve become a worry wart with all the what-if’s and oh-no’s. Instead, I quickly reset and shift my mind to my thankful list.
COVID-19 is scary and can cause panic, if we let it. When you start to feel anxious, overwhelmed, and want to start over-thinking, take a second to recognize where you are headed and shift your negative thoughts to positive ones instead.
Try making a list of things or people you are thankful. This could be things like:
- A roof over your head
- Good health
- Food
- Your family
- Beautiful nature around you
- Friends
- Technology to keep you in contact with those you care about
- Nice weather
- Those serving our country, like our military and medical professionals
- Whatever else you are grateful for
This doesn’t need to be a long list, but when you take the time to do this each day, you will be
surprised at how much of a positive difference it makes! I suggest trying to keep a journal that you can
look over from time to time—full of all your daily thankful lists.
I really implore you to try this habit of gratefulness and want to encourage you and let you know that you’re not alone right now! Everyone is dealing with something, and everyone deals with these struggles differently, but we will get through this! Having a heart of gratitude and making those thankful lists are really helpful. Take a moment to try it out now!
Posted by Amber Budzynski, military spouse and NMFA Volunteer
This article originates from www.militaryfamily.org not HelpVet. View original article here.
