Deployment is hard on military families. At a moment’s notice, your loved one could come home and say, “I have to go.” Whether it is six months or a year and a half, for those left behind, the time can drag on for an eternity. When you are missing your spouse, you might be trying to calculate ways to spend most of the time in bed, but this isn’t going to make it go by any faster. If you have a case of the deployment blues, it might feel like the only cure is your service member coming home. While that might be true, there are ways you can manage the emotions around this tremendous event to make the time go by faster and more pleasantly.

Make Goals for Yourself

At the beginning of deployment, it might feel like even getting out of the house is an insurmountable task. It’s okay to be gentle with yourself and take some time to feel the weight of deployment on your soul. But as you are holed up inside your house, life goes on, and eventually, you will have to get out there and live it. Ultimately, you have control over whether you make the most of this difficult time or let the bad feelings control your daily life. Take some time to think about what you have wanted to accomplish but never got around to and write down goals for yourself for this period of time. Maybe it is taking a class, starting a new hobby, or getting into a fitness routine. Regardless of the specifics, make sure that you have plans for your goals to give you a purpose to carry you through this tough time.

Spend Some Time Alone

This may not be a problem for you, but something that is difficult for many military spouses is learning how to be alone. When you’re married, you’re used to spending time with your partner, whether you are eating dinner at home or going out to the movies. Many people find it really tough to transition into doing things alone. A great way to address this is to go ahead and lean into it. Try going to a movie alone, a restaurant by yourself, or a solo trip. It might be scary at first, but you will be surprised by what you notice and how the experience isn’t bad. Who knows, this could serve as a great time to tap into some self-discovery.

Make New Friends

If you are not feeling confident about venturing out on your own, why not take this time to find some new friends to spend time with? You miss your spouse, but temporarily living the single life means you have more time to get out there and connect with new people. Be proactive about putting yourself out there. Join online and in-person support groups for military spouses in your area for an opportunity to get to know people who can relate to your life. Alternatively, you can take a fitness class or join a professional networking group. Passing the time getting to know new people is better than sitting at home and watching the minutes tick away.

Reconnect with Family

Alternatively, you could find that what you need is the grounding sense of home during this turbulent time. Visiting family and old friends might be just what the doctor ordered to pass the time of your spouse’s deployment. If you have children, grandma and grandpa might be thrilled at the opportunity to entertain them for you so you can have a break from the single parent life, and immersing yourself in a familiar environment may be just the comfort you need.

Video Chat With Your Service Member

The letters you receive from your military spouse are ones you will cherish forever, but a piece of paper just isn’t the same as seeing their face. With video chatting, we are able to have face-to-face conversations with people we love all over the world. That being said, military service members don’t always have a reliable internet connection, making video chatting difficult. Fortunately, at Sapphire, we offer a solution: our wireless internet hotspot. With this device, you can access the internet with a reliable 4D connection in more than 100 countries. Ensure that you are able to connect with your spouse face-to-face, even when they are thousands of miles away, by investing in a Sapphire MiFi before they deploy.

Regardless of how you spend the time, make sure to keep moving forward. Whether or not you do anything with your time, it will pass. It is your choice whether you are able to enjoy them, or you spend the days ruminating on your troubles. At Sapphire, we wish you the best of luck making the most out of your spouse’s deployment.