Petawawa Military Family Resource Centre
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/711198
Updated December 2017 STAYING CONNECTED TO THEMSELVES CLEANING OUT MY CLOSET When a family member is deployed people often go through a bunch of changes. Clear time in your schedule for you to really get down to the nitty-gritty of purging what you no longer wear. Dedicate a hefty chunk of the day to go through every single item in your wardrobe. It can be difficult to let go of pretty little things that once made your heart flutter but taking this time will have you thinking of memories. Some questions that you may think about when trying to clear out would be; 1) Does this fit? 2) Have I worn this in the last 12 Months? 3) Does this accurately represent my style or who I am? 4) Do I feel confident when I wear this? With the items that you have decided to no longer keep you can donate them to a local charity or shelter. With children have them go through their toys and see what they play with and what they would like to donate to someone. When you are going through some of their toys reflect on when they were given the toy and who gave it to them. You can also talk about how donating a toy will make another child happy. COOK A HEALTHY MEAL When your CAF member leaves it becomes too easy not to cook or to get into a routine with meals. Take some time and find a new recipe you (your children) would like to try and create a shopping list. Have a friend (your children) help with the cooking. Start a new recipe book with all the items you have tried, and liked while your CAF member is away and plan to cook for them upon their return. The fun is spending time cooking with someone and seeing how the end result turns out. The success may not always be in the meal itself but in the time that you spent and the memories that you made. LETTERS TO MYSELF It is hard to be alone without your partner as sometimes there is not that person there that you can share your intimate feelings with. Take some time to yourself and sit down and write your thoughts, feelings and emotions down as well you could write down what you have you done (accomplished) since your partner's deployment. You may find it hard at first to write down how you feel and that is okay. Once you have completed your letter you can read it over and seal it up. Look back on these letters when the next deployment occurs and you may see how you have may have experienced similar feelings and how you were able to cope. HAVE FUN Don't take life or yourself too seriously. It's meant to be an enjoyable. It is important for you to find an activity that you enjoy and have fun doing. Do an activity that always makes you smile and laugh or take a chance and try something new. Deployment can cause a lot of stress and pressure and it is important to take time to be silly, have fun and laugh. Laughter can be the best medicine. STAYING CONNECTED TO OTHERS & OUR WORLD Hidden Treasures – leave little toys around with notes attached for someone to keep Nice Notes – leave nice notes around your house for siblings / children to find Take Shorter Showers & Turn Off the Lights Read to a Younger Child Thank Someone Give Away a Toy