Covid-19 really has taken much of the world by storm: everything is canceled, plans have changed at a moment’s notice, and people are scared. That birthday party for your four-year-old will need to be rescheduled…someday. You need to figure out how to keep your home clean and sanitized even while your spouse continues to work as essential personnel. That Permanent Change of Station (PCS) planned for over spring break is now put on hold indefinitely.
But you, dear military spouse, are ready for Covid-19. Your life as a Military Significant Other (MILSO) has prepared you for this very type of situation. Sure, you are just as affected, but you have something on your side.
Military Spouses Are Resilient.
You have experience with plan changing and the uncertainty of what is to come. You trek across the country– and the world– over and over again. And each time you do, you make your house a home again. You send care packages and wait for communication blackouts to end. You’re the one who has to drive home after dropping your spouse off at the terminal or the ship or the bus with crying kids in the backseat when you want to cry too.
But you are still human. Sometimes you make mistakes. Sometimes you’re really sick of the Navy/Army/Marines/etc., you say things you regret, and you want to run and hide from all the problems you may be facing. But when you feel like you have failed, you pick yourself up and try again tomorrow. And the next day. And the one after that. That is why, in the middle of the current world pandemic, being a military spouse is an asset.
Here are four ways military spouses are best equipped for Covid-19.
You know sacrifice
Sacrifice can come in different forms, but as a military spouse, you will feel it in ways that others will not. You feel it when your service member deploys and misses out on important events such as birthdays, anniversaries, and the first day of school. Sacrifice hits you hard when you are unable to take them with you when you go home for Christmas, or they miss the birth of your child. Sacrifice is built into being a MILSO.
Coronavirus has taken a lot from Americans. It has stripped us from a lot of freedom, it has taken loved ones away from us and it has caused doubt to creep into our hearts and minds. But these sacrifices will not break you – you know how to handle it!
You quickly adapt to circumstances and find a way to “make it work.”
“Making it work” is your specialty. There isn’t much that throws you off. Last-minute deployment? Moving to a new country? Having a baby alone while your spouse is on the other side of the country? Yep. You have been there, done that. You are able to adapt to whatever military life throws at you every day.
So when Covid-19 causes that PCS you have planned to stop and for you to now homeschool four different grades at once, you make it work. You set up the school schedule, pull out the PCS binder and your emergency food stash, and hunker down. You give yourself grace for the things that don’t go well (who has the time and patience for 3 home-cooked meals a day?) and celebrate the things that do.
You know how to rally with your tribe, especially with great distances between you.
Military spouses are used to separation from friends and family. You know what it is like to have silence on the end of emails for days/weeks on end. You have friends and family dotted all over and the feeling of isolation is something that comes and goes regularly. But you ALSO know how to use technology and other resources to maintain relationships and to build each other up.
During some of the lowest times in this world, I have seen military spouses rally together to make a difference. From Zoom meetings for scripture groups, to sharing homemade mask tutorials, you are able to utilize technology to better the situation and wellbeing of others. If you want to know how best to thrive through social distancing, go and find a MILSO!
You capitalize on the good stuff and work to make the bad stuff better.
Yeah, it’s a pandemic, and that’s awful. There’s still good in the world out there. Military spouses experience more than most civilians do. You have many opportunities throughout your lives as MILSOs to capitalize on what is good: traveling to new places and meeting new people, to name a few. Then the hard times come: deployments, leaving behind friends, never being able to make plans, etc. But never fear, you are a master at finding solutions and using these trials as stepping stones to something better.
Covid-19 may have put the brakes on a lot in your life, but focusing on the good and trying to make the bad better, helps! After all, that is what you do on the regular! Snuggle with those babies you have, enjoy the slower pace, or finish those projects you have been putting off.
Coronavirus has nothing on a MILSO.
While being stuck indoors, unsure of the future, and feeling like you can’t possibly watch Frozen one more time, know you are ready. When you feel like you can’t go on anymore, pick yourself up, and try again. Like I said, even in the middle of a pandemic, being a military spouse is an asset. Because things are changing, fast, and things are getting hard, faster. But you are ready.
Meet Noralee:
Noralee Jones is a MILSO of 12 years, mom of 4, and writer/creator at www.mrsnavymama.com. Having experiences with 7 deployments, 4 PCS moves alone and the author of the Self-Care Guide for MILSOs, she is an expert on the importance of taking the time to focus on filling our bodies, minds, and souls with our individual needs in order to make the most out of our lives. She is also the Co-Author of The Newbie’s Guide to Military life and focuses on supporting MILSOs through the ups and downs of military life through Mrs. Navy Mama. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
