Take Charge of Your Self-Care Routine with Hope For The Warriors
With school no longer in session, long days by the pool, backyard BBQs, and family vacations in sight, many of us often think that summer is free from “seasonal blues.” But sometimes, adjusting to the “new normal” during these months can be difficult. There are additional stressors like balancing children being home or finding extra finances for summer camps and parties that can start to take a toll on our mental wellness. As we head into the last half of summer, Hope For The Warriors encourages you to take some time to focus on your self-care routine.
Self-care looks different for everyone
Self-care is all about having a healthy relationship with yourself, which looks different for everyone. For some, it may mean focusing on their spiritual self by practicing yoga or meditation. For others, it may mean concentrating on their physical health through exercise or nutrition.
This shift in focus to taking charge of your personal well-being can yield powerful results. What better time than right now to begin this new journey to working on the best version of yourself. Check out this Summer Self-Care Checklist as a great place to start!
For the military community, summer often brings its own sets of unique challenges and moments of adversity. The period of time from May – August is peak move season for active-duty service members with over 65% of duty station changes taking place during these months. This means families all around the world are moving not only their household goods, but children are changing schools, leaving behind friends, and readjusting to their new, often temporary, home.
Veterans also experience stressors and difficulties during this season as there is often an increase in loud noises like fireworks, feelings of hypervigilance with summer crowds, and pressure to attend all the social gatherings. These situations may resurface difficult memories or cause feelings of discomfort. No matter what situation members of our military community are faced with this summer, they can always find support with Hope For The Warriors.
Focusing on resiliency and self-care techniques
Hope For The Warriors offers two different courses for the military community. Our Resilient Warrior course is offered to post-9/11 service members and veterans, and Resilient Family is a course offered to the spouses and caregivers of these individuals.
Both courses meet once a week for six weeks and are designed to teach resiliency and coping skills to help manage the stressors of day-to-day life. Courses are led by Hope For The Warriors’ well-being team, who are all trained in mental health, and aid participants in gaining the tools necessary to improve their overall quality of life.
No matter what your summer looks like this year, remember you are not alone. Offering programs and services aimed at taking a 360° approach to well-being, we are here to help our warrior community restore their sense of self, family, and HOPE.
Get Connected
For a sneak preview of the Resilient Warrior and Resilient Family program, check out this video demonstrating one of the in-session exercises you’ll learn along your well-being journey. Click here to learn more about the program and find out when our next cohort begins!
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Melissa Martens is a content specialist for Hope For The Warriors. She served over five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a public affairs specialist supporting multiple training events and deployments from 2014-2020. Martens graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York in 2013. After her time in the military, she decided to continue her education in the communications field and earned a master’s in mass communications from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2022.
