Photo By Staff Sgt. Chris Sommers | Staff Sgt. Devina Cunningham, an aerospace ground equipment journeyman with the 446th...... read more read more
Though Staff Sgt. Devina Cunningham, an aerospace ground equipment journeyman with the 446th Maintenance Squadron here, has experienced a difficult year during the pandemic, she gained a perspective on her life and the world that she may not have otherwise found.
Before the pandemic, life for Cunningham was just a routine. But life in the pandemic has given her perspective and focus.
In 2020, Cunningham had coronavirus, experienced the deaths of her oldest brother and closest aunt; her husband was deployed for a good portion of the year; and she suffered a miscarriage. All of these difficult experiences were compounded by suddenly becoming an at-home teacher for her two grade-school children. All while seemingly having no support system here in the Pacific Northwest.
Or, so she thought.
“Sometimes you get so far down, the only way to go is up,” said Cunningham.
Though, she did not expect to deal with so much heartache and struggles this year, she did learn what she was capable of after giving all she could give.
“My family became my reason to wake up every morning,” said Cunningham. “I needed to protect my husband from the home life stresses while he was deployed; protect my kids at home from losing hope.”
With this drive to protect and her focus on her family, Cunningham felt the highest pressure. As a result she learned a valuable lesson – don’t be afraid to ask for help.
In the fall, Cunningham reached out to her peers in her unit and first sergeant. They directed her to Kristi McCann, the 446th Airlift Wing’s director of Psychological Health, and the wing's Airman and Family Readiness.
They provided one-on-one counseling so Cunningham could talk about her situation, as well as resources on how to teach children from home, manage finances, and how to balance work-life stress. If Airman and Family Readiness couldn’t provide a specific service, they connected her with someone that could.
“As soon as I dropped my ego, the resources flooded in,” said Cunningham. “The help was so helpful. When I used it, all the pressure that had built up was relieved.”
Cunningham describes herself as an independent person, taking care of things on her own.
But she learned that asking for help didn’t mean she was less of a person, but just needed support in order to keep functioning. She is able to set goals and dream again. Prioritizing what is important gave her focus to be more productive in life while actually living it.
Her advice to anyone struggling under a world of pressure right now is to practice the words ‘I need help’ or ‘I need to talk.’” Cunningham said, “Be willing to have a conversation about how you are really doing; open up if things really aren’t fine. There are many resources within the military that actually work.”
Though this past year has been the hardest year of her life, Cunningham has gained a powerful new prospective on what is important in life. She has also learned that it’s okay to ask for help and you don’t have to do everything alone.
Cunningham also knows now that she will always have a support system in her unit and in the Air Force Reserve.
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2021 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 388559 |
| Location: | TACOMA , WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wing resources help 446th Airman find perspective, focus during pandemic, by SSgt Chris Sommers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
