We are currently dealing with our first deployment since becoming an Army family.
Yes, it sucks....but you get through it. People often say "I don't know how you do it" and my first thought is "Well, I don't either but I decided it would be pretty awful to be miserable for an entire year of my life." So that's that. You wallow in your own misery for a day or two after he leaves and then you suck it up and move on.
That being said, I do have a couple tips for how to get through a deployment:
1. Make friends. Lots of them. Preferably friends whose husbands are also deployed. I won the proverbial jackpot when it comes to my Army wife friends. I made 12 friends whose husbands were all deployed and we are all young newlyweds. Most of us don't have children yet either so we all have similar interests. Hanging out with friends who are in the same boat as you (or who at least understand your boat) is the BEST thing to get you through.
2. Stay BUSY! Being bored almost always equals thinking about your husband and how much you miss him. My personal method for staying busy is my job and hanging out with my girlfriends. But if you don't have a job you can still volunteer, redecorate your home, start a new project, or whatever suits you to stay busy.
3. Plan things to look forward to. My FRG leader recommended having one thing to look forward to each month. Such as as road trip, a wedding, a party, etc. Count down the days until the exciting activity instead of the days til your husband comes home.
4. Communicate with your husband as much as possible. Whether it's email, phone, SKYPE, etc the important thing is to stay connected.
That's it for now. I have more tips but I've got to save some material for future posts! :) Just keep in mind, deployments ARE do-able!
