Photo By Staff Sgt. Amanda Baker | (pictured left to right) Col. Tavi Brunson, 528th Sustainment Brigade (Special...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. – I go to behavioral health for many things new moms experience, such as postpartum depression and anxiety stemming from the struggle to adapt to new family life while serving in the military.
Recently, the Army has extended parental leave and offered additional resources to new parents, which has helped make balancing life as a military parent easier. However, the Army still has improvements to make and must reshape the stigma of using behavioral health.
I have seen in social media groups that many service members are still afraid going to behavioral health may impact the advancement of their careers, afraid going might give them a negative reputation and make them seem weak.
Seeking help should never be seen as a failure. Seeking help is a sign of strength, and I personally experienced this on my drive to Fort Meade from Fayetteville to attend the Advanced Leadership Course in March 2023 where upon graduation, I would solidify my rank as a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant.
As I drove, I felt the extreme sadness of leaving behind my husband, our two-year-old child and seven-month-old baby for the one month course. It was my first time away from the kids. My foot trembled pressing on the gas pedal and my hands on the wheel shook from nervousness and anticipation of not being home, and how I would perform during the course.
Thanks to my counselor in behavioral health, whom I sought prior to leaving, I used a mental exercise to ease my anxiety symptoms. The exercise consisted of grounding techniques that forced me to focus on my senses:
Sight: I saw the lines on the road ahead of me.
Touch: I felt the seat beneath me.
Hear: I heard the music on the radio.
Taste: I tasted the water from my bottle.
Smell: I smelled the fresh cut grass from the fields as I drove past.
I felt less stressed as I became more aware of my surroundings. I felt grounded and re-energized, and the drive felt like a relaxing meditation. I even started to enjoy the ride and realized the upside of going away: I was getting a nice little break from diaper changes, constant laundry, and endless annoying tunes from my toddler’s iPad. Not only that, my mother-in-law had also arrived to help my husband with the kids.
As I calmed down, I realized that I was going to be okay, and most importantly, my Family would be okay without me for a short time.
I completed the training and demonstrated excellent qualities as a class leader, according to my peers. I valued the friendships I made along the way and came home feeling confident in my abilities as a Non-Commissioned Officer.
I also came home rejuvenated and refreshed as a mom, and not as upset to go back to diaper changes, laundry and our toddler’s annoying tunes. I enjoyed seeing the new things our children were doing, too, and all the ways they had grown while I was away.
I am grateful to experience the unique opportunities of blending incredibly challenging roles together: being an NCO and a mom.
I am living proof that behavioral health and counseling is a way to sustain goals and career progression while also being a parent. It’s important to look out for each other in the Army as we embark on a life of new parenthood, but it’s also important to recognize when we need help and take the initiative to seek it out when we need it.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2023 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 443737 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 272 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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