Welcome back to our blog series on staying sane during tours of duty and Permanent Changes of Station. At Sapphire International Mobile Hotspot, our purpose is to keep you connected with the people you care about, give you the ability to maintain your monthly bill payments, and stay current on the news, events, and happenings back home. How are we able to help you do this? We offer mobile hotspots so that you’ll never be without your portable WiFi. Our goal is to make sure that you can stay as connected as you want to be during your time away. Have questions about our coverage or data plans? We offer 24/7 support so that you’ll never be wondering if Sapphire is right for you. Contact us today or shop our amazing data plans!
In part one of our blog series, we discussed four of our best tips for keeping your sanity while your abroad on your military tour of duty. Being away due to your military service, whether you’re being assigned abroad due to a PCS or you’re being deployed for a short-term tour of duty, can be a really tough time in your life. Therefore, it’s vital to do your best to make friends with the people you’ll be rubbing elbows with and embrace the process of your tour while trying to stay positive. Your attitude can make or break your time overseas. Finally, it can be so valuable to find a hobby and stay connected with your friends and family back home. With the right mindset, goals, tools, and portable WiFi, you’ll be able to get through your deployment or PCS like a champ.
In today’s blog, we’re going to take a look at a few more ideas for staying sane during your time abroad due to military service. Continue reading below for some of our excellent tips.
Trade Movies With Friends
Many of us at home and abroad share a love of movies and TV shows; watching a flick or streaming your favorite show is a great way to feel like you’re back home again. However, there are smart ways to go about managing your entertainment needs. Instead of buying countless DVDs that you might not watch once you get home, consider trading movies, show, or external hard drives with your friends who are also stationed at your location. When it’s time to go home, you’ll be thankful that you don’t have too many DVDs and that you’ve been able to hang on to more of your hard-earned money. If you’re looking for a great way to stream your favorite shows, consider investing in a mobile hotspot. Sapphire International Mobile Hotspot has multiple data plans so that you can have portable WiFi wherever you go!
Use Social Media As Needed
With Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, and so many other social media outlets, we have instant socialization at our fingertips; the lives of our loved ones are on display for all to see. However, when you’re thousands of miles away, it’s easy to feel like you’re the odd-man-out. It’s easy to start to feel depressed and excluded because everyone’s lives seem so pleasant and positive. When you start to feel that way, it can be valuable to adopt a certain mindset. Remember that people present only a certain view of themselves on social media and they have their own set of issues, just like anyone else. Also, keep in mind that it may benefit you to take a short break from social media for your own sanity. It will always be there waiting for you, but if you’re not being tortured by feelings of envy and jealousy, consider stepping away temporarily.
Keep The Bigger Picture in Mind
When you’re serving overseas or you’re in the middle of a PCS, it can be easy to get bogged down or frustrated by the mundane or tedious day-to-day tasks. However, remembering that you’re not there forever and that your tour or service is temporary, will help you immensely. Keeping the light at the end of the tunnel, you’ll be able to see yourself on the other side of this season and you’ll be able to stay in better spirits. Always remember why you’re serving, what your ultimate goals are, and how this process can help you achieve the next level.
Get involved!
When you’re serving overseas, it’s easy to become lonely and isolated. Missing the people or life back home, people often cut themselves off from others who are serving alongside them. For this reason, it might benefit you to reach out and get involved. Join a book club, run a 5K, and set some goals for yourself. With big and exciting things to look forward to, you’ll keep your mind and body engaged in an active attempt to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself; something that you’ll have to work for.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
There is a stigma that exists among those who are in the military that you must figure out your own problems and find your own solutions to difficulties you encounter. However, when you’re feeling down, lonely, or confused about anything in your life, it can be so damaging to keep all of that anxiety and depression inside. Difficult feelings that aren’t dealt with in some way can be extremely toxic and can lead you to a very low place. Instead of keeping your worries and troubles to yourself, reach out for help. It’s not weak to admit that you need help, it actually takes a great deal of strength to admit you can’t do everything on your own. No matter what you’re going through, you were never meant to do it alone; reach out to a counselor, close friend, or someone else who would be a good listening ear and source of wisdom for you.
No matter the reason for your military service overseas, no deployment or PCS is without its own set of challenges and difficulties. Especially if it’s your first tour of duty, you’re navigating new feelings, figuring out long-distance relationships, and trying to cope with all of the responsibilities that are on your shoulders. To maintain a positive state of mind while you’re in a foreign country, it’s vital that you take some important steps for your own sanity and well-being.
To make sure that you’re always able to connect with your friends and family, you need to have a reliable source of portable WiFi. Sapphire International Mobile Hotspot has the data plans and coverage to keep you connected to the people you love and the country you’re far away from. To learn more about what we offer, contact us at our 24/7 online support desk!