No, not THAT s-word. Stress. Too many folks over here are already starting to show signs of breaking down. It’s day 5. One thing I’ve learned from my husband’s two previous tours over here is that a year in Iraq is a marathon, not a sprint. If you don’t get enough rest, if you don’t eat right, the stress is going to get you way before anything else.
Stress over here comes in many forms. Missing your family is stressful. People may not acknowledge that it is, but a lack of little kids’ feet slapping on bare floors is stressful. Life with kids has a certain sound. Life in the tents over here has a different sound, one of air conditioners and national anthems. People are used to hearing certain sounds when they sleep, so listening to shouts and a/c units causes stress.
The biggest thing I can recommend is for you to find a way to deal with the stress. An outlet that lets you channel the energy the stress is taking out of you and put it toward something that makes the unit better.
So that’s all for now.
Later!
