Real Talk: Permanent Change of Station

By Jenny Lynne Stroup, Outreach Coordinator for the Cohen Clinic at VVSD

Permanent Change of Station

As summer draws to a close, so does the height of PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season. This summer, my family PCS’d for the first time in five years. What started as a ten-month assignment ended up spanning three commands and five years.

For me, this PCS meant going back home - to the place where I was born and raised. I was and am excited about being back here. Yet, there was a lot I left behind - friends, community, my favorite spots to grab coffee, and the support systems I relied on to handle the stressors that come with military life, to name a few. It’s easy, in the midst of the packing and the driving and the planning and the rush of the “new,” to forget that the weight of this change will come crashing in about the same time I finally find my good dishes, and that all of the things I left are the very things that helped me navigate the other changes and challenges that life often brings.

About two weeks after most of the boxes are unpacked and we’ve settled into our new residence, I realize I’ve spent the majority of those nights on the couch with a pint of ice cream staring blankly at whatever show is on Netflix.

Taking Charge of Your Mental Health During PCS Season

After several moves, I’ve learned that when I look up and realize I’ve spent most nights in a sugar coma that I am grieving the loss of what I had at our last duty station and it’s time for me to put into practice the things that ease the pain of what was and begin to fully live here.

Some of those things and practices include:

• Routine - Creating a plan for the day helps me settle into my new place. I often get so caught up in the boxes and finding a place for everything that I forget that I function best with a regular routine. • Rituals - My morning ritual includes reading and writing, exercising, and a cup of coffee after breakfast. At night, I wash my face, brush my teeth, then read for 30 minutes before turning out the light. • Going outside - Whether it’s taking a break from unboxing to enjoy the new neighborhood pool or to tend to my little container garden, being outside in the sunshine always helps me not get stuck in the fog loss. • Get involved - I find I am at my best when I am with others, when I feel that I belong. Joining a local church, finding a summer camp for my children, and joining a gym are some of the places I go to plug into community. • Ask for help - Before I left our last duty station, I asked my support system - my therapist, my doctor, my friends - if they had any recommendations for similar services at my new duty station.

Though PCS means a permanent change of station this “permanent” change is only temporary and the next one will be on the horizon before we know it and I can once again take charge of my mental health by using the practices above.

Jenny Lynne Stroup serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Veterans Village of San Diego.

www.vvsd.net/cohenclinicsandiego

The Cohen Clinic at VVSD is one of 19 mental health clinics nationwide under nonprofit Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) which focuses on providing targeted treatments for a variety of mental health challenges facing post-9/11 veterans and military families, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, transition challenges, and more.