Staying Focused During Deployment

Any experienced sailor will tell you that part of the success of coping during a deployment is to have small goals to work toward, otherwise the days can become long and mundane. Goals are an extrodinary coping technique because they provide a sense of completion and satisfaction.
 Second one must focus on the positve because whatever you spend your time and attention on will expand.

I have taken this advise to heart and  its my mission to use this deployment as an opportunity to  complete things  I am forever saying " I don't have time for".  The  list of books I want to read and movies I want to watch are forever expanding, now is the time to make the list shrink. I have been in courntry for about three and a half weeks and feel proud of my progress.

I hope you enjoy following along as a share with you some possible books and movies you may want to read or steer clear of.


Books

1  Ironman by Chris Crutcher.  A few of my initial chooses were from a reading list I picked up for high schoolers several years ago. Since I never read them in high school, I thought it would be fun to do so know. This book will also be useful in my work as a psychiatric nurse. The arthur has a background in psychology and has an insighful way of describing kids in crisis.This is a great book for any parent or child who are struggling in their relationship with each other.


2. Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington. This was a perfect book at this time in my life for so many reasons. First Alice Bliss is a 15 year old girl who is trying to deal wit her fathers deployment to Iraq. The author did an exceptional job illustrating the stages of grief of family members as they vary throght the life span. The book is very emotinaly engaging and was so real it could of been a non-fiction book.

3.The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This book is a must read, especailly for all my friends who are animal lovers because it is written about ther human conditon from the perspective of a dog. The narrator desribes racing as a metaphor for the lessons we are on earth to learn.

4. Hot Zone by

5. Still Alice by Lisa Conoway

6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

7. White Oleander by

8. The Perks of Being a Wall Flower by Stephen Chbosky

9. A Thousand Splendid Suns

10. Sarah's Key

11. Night After Day

12. Solider's by Ernest Hemmingway
Stay tuned as a describe the movies I have watched during this deployment thus far.

Adapting to Change

Would you prefer to be a butterfly or a catapiller?  The butterfly is appealing to most because of its beauty and the freedom to fly,  but some people choose to remain a caterpillar because the cocoon of a catepillar is comforting and safe. Remaining in a cocoon is equivelent to staying in our comfort zone, which provides temporary advantages. The advantages of choosing to remain in a cocoon is comfort and saftey, but the disadvantages are far greater. The disadvantages of choosing not to evolve into a butterfly and leave the coocon is stagnation, isolation and the perpetual cycle of fear. Choosing to avoid our fears or change can be much more draining than facing the dragon. 

Yes, change can be stressful, but also very rewarding.  The advantages of confronting our stressors and change is increased self-esteem, accomplishment, and growth. The disadvantages of stepping out into the circle of change are fear of failure, fear of the unknown and performance pressures. There is far more risk in lost opportunity by staying in  the cocoon then adjusting to change.

To do or not to do reenforces our beliefs about ourself. For example, when we confront our fear and adapt to the change it strengths belief in self and expands self-esteem. On the contrary when we stay close to the harbor and choose not to venture into unknown waters we foster self-doubt, which contines to expand.

Stepping out of our  comfort zone can be done gradually by taking “baby steps”. For example, one can desensitize and overcome the fear of meeting new people, by talking to one new person a day.

Reflection questions?

1.       What is your cocoon?

2.       What are two advantages of your cocoon?

3.       What are you missing out on by remaining in your cocoon?

4.       Where have you been a butterfly and what advantages did you gain?

Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent. Nolan Ryan

LT. Valerie R. Vestal, MSN, RN