Family Guidons

Family Guidons - Ep. 6 Holding It Together at Home: Coping with Deployment Stress & Anxiety Part 1

Family Guidons

Show Notes

In this episode of Family Guidons, the hosts sit down with Lisa Mustard, a licensed marriage and family therapist and the psychological health program manager for the South Carolina Military Department, to talk about the challenges and emotional impact of deployment on military families. From managing stress and anxiety to navigating parenting and maintaining emotional well-being, this episode is filled with practical coping tools, expert insight and real-life experiences. If you or your family are facing the realities of deployment, this conversation offers support, understanding and resources to help you through it. This is part one of “Holding It Together at Home” so make sure you come back for part two where they continue the conversation.

00:00 - Intro 02:30 - Episode Topic: Coping with Deployment Stress and Anxiety 03:05 - Personal Experiences with Deployment 03:43 - Introducing Expert Guest: Lisa Mustard 04:52 - Understanding Deployment Stress 07:44 - Children's Reactions to Deployment 08:24 - Differences in Coping: Kids vs. Spouses vs. Parents 09:07 - Signs of Stress in Family Members 10:11 - Holding it Together: The Importance of Support Systems 11:14 - Different Coping Mechanisms for Spouses 17:46 - Long-Term Support for Military Families 22:09 - Signs of Serious Stress in Adults 23:01 - Signs of Serious Stress in Children 25:21 - Communicating with Children About Deployment 27:44 - Coping and Grounding Strategies 28:46 - Importance of Community Support 31:09 - Calming Techniques: Deep Breathing and Grounding 33:44 - Self-Care During Deployment 35:09 - Maintaining Routines and Schedules 37:06 - Adapting to the New Normal 39:06 - Importance of Self-Care for Parents 41:06 - Maintaining Connection with Deployed Partner 44:13 - Balancing Communication and Emotional Support 45:37 - Preview of Next Episode: Supporting Kids and Parents

Links: Email: [email protected]

Lisa Mustard: 803-409-9965, [email protected]

South Carolina Army National Guard Behavioral Health Care Line - 866-345-8400

Military OneSource - www.militaryonesource.mil

24-HOUR NATIONAL CRISIS LIFELINE - Available for civilians and service members. 1-800-273-8255; Service Members press option #1.

You may also TEXT 838255 to the Veterans Crisis Line or click https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help-now/chat/ to open up a chat conversation.

Operation Purple: https://www.militaryfamily.org/state-of-the-military-family-programs/operation-purple/

Military spouse advocacy network: https://www.militaryspouseadvocacynetwork.org/

Bloom Military Teen program: https://www.bloommilitaryteens.org/

Blue Star Mothers of America: https://www.bluestarmothers.org/

Defining Daily Victories During a Military Deployment: Navigating the Holidays - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH6GukafBcg

Handling Travel During Deployment of Your Service Member - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62jataTay1g

South Carolina National Guard / https://www.scguard.ng.mil/ Youtube / scnationalguard Facebook / scguard Instagram / official_scguard Twitter / scnationalguard Flickr / https://www.flickr.com/photos/scguard/ DVIDS / https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/SCNG

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