Are You Struggling With The Stress Of Life In The Military?
• Are you an active or retired member or the spouse of a member of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or other military agency?
• Is the instability of constant transition, deployment, and separation from your loved ones beginning to weigh on you?
• Have you experienced feelings of isolation, symptoms of unresolved trauma, or suicidal ideation as a result of service-related stress?
Perhaps you’re relatively new to the military and struggling to adjust. Or maybe aspects of your identity, like your gender or sexual orientation, have made it hard to feel accepted or safe in the military. It could be that you have experienced some form of assault or harassment at the hands of your comrades or superiors.
It may also be that a relentless pressure to move up in the ranks and pass physical assessments has caused you to worry to the point that you’re experiencing physical symptoms like headaches, sleeplessness, or a loss of appetite. Or perhaps you’ve experienced combat stress that has resulted in symptoms of unresolved post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as intrusive memories and flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, panic attacks, depression or a loss of interest in activities that once provided you with joy.
Both active and retired military service members often struggle with their emotions as a result of internalized stress. You may find yourself constantly irritable, angry, or succumbing to road rage. Or maybe you engage in risky behaviors, which can include substance abuse.
Alternatively, if you’re the spouse or adult child of someone in the military, you may also be affected by frequent location changes and long separations from your loved one. Perhaps, you find that your loved one has become detached and cold in your relationship. Or if you’re the spouse of a deployed individual, you may carry the burden of raising children and tending to things at home all on your own.
Regardless of your role, being involved with the military can be difficult and overwhelming. You may wish you could go back to a time before life became unmanageable or just simply get rid of your anger or sadness. And while counseling may not be able to turn back the hands of time, it can help you adjust to and cope with the stressors associated with being in the military.
It’s Often Difficult For Military Personnel To Seek Help For Mental Health Struggles
Working in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or another branch of the military can be extremely demanding and stressful for any individual. It’s estimated that between the three recent major wars involving the US (Vietnam, Gulf War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom), 15 percent of veterans have since suffered from PTSD¹. Not to mention, adjustment disorders (which are more generalized responses to stress than PTSD) are among the most common mental health issues affecting this population.²
Moreover, not only are members of the military subjected to violence, combat, long hours, and the stress of being in foreign surroundings, but there are also internal workplace dynamics that can often create a hostile environment. The Department of Defense estimates that as of 2019, 38 percent of female military personnel and 4 percent of male military personnel have experienced sexual assault.³ And complaints of sexual harassment are even more common.
Unfortunately, the military apparatus in general does not prioritize mental health. There is an expectation—created either by the individual or the apparatus itself—that those in the military should be stoic and strong. Emotional struggles can be viewed as signs of weakness and may even jeopardize promotion opportunities or subject distressed individuals to increased bullying and scrutiny. And oftentimes, those who are traumatized or disturbed by what they have experienced in the military minimize their feelings by convincing themselves that others in the military have it worse.
Though you may have physically returned from training and deployment or retired from the military in “one piece”, you may be suffering silently with invisible wounds. Therapy can help you to see that what your experiencing is not unusual for military personnel and that there is no need to blame yourself or feel shame about what you have endured.
The truth is that doing this dangerous and stressful work has likely changed your brain on a neurobiological level. And a therapist can help you understand what has happened and how to move forward from it.
¹ https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp
² https://www.pdhealth.mil/news/blog/adjustment-disorders-how-are-they-relevant-military-mental-health
³ https://www.sapr.mil/reports
Counseling Can Help You To Process And Heal From Your Experiences In The Military
Regardless of if you’re active duty, a veteran, or the spouse/adult child of a military member, it probably seems as though you live in two different worlds—that which belongs to those in uniform and that which belongs to civilians. In military therapy, however, you can find a safe and confidential space to explore unresolved trauma and learn essential skills for adjusting to new and stressful circumstances.
At bareWell, mental healthcare is centered around the trusted relationship you will form with one of our clinicians. Our therapists will get to know you on an individual level and work to understand your history and symptoms so that counseling for military-related issues can be customized to meet your needs.
Once you feel comfortable, you will be empowered to explore aspects of unresolved trauma, relationship issues, and elements of your identity (including if you’re a woman or identify as LGBTQ+). We will provide you with a secure place to talk through your emotions, navigate your challenges, and learn how to effectively communicate your needs.
Using trauma-informed emotional, cognitive, and behavioral techniques, your bareWell clinician will help you to identify triggers, manage symptoms, communicate your feelings, tolerate distress, and, most importantly, learn to treat yourself with self-compassion and acceptance. By learning to assert yourself in a healthy and effective way, you can begin the process of healing and moving forward.
If you’re in the military or partnered with an active-duty service member or veteran, you don’t have to suffer silently or stoically any longer—counseling can provide you with the support you need. It’s possible to live a well-adjusted, healthy, and fulfilling life free of fear and constant worry, and it begins with therapy at bareWell.
