As military spouses, it is essential to find ways to keep their relationship strong despite constant moves. When faced with frequent relocations due to deployment or training exercises, maintaining intimacy and relational cohesion can be challenging.
There are strategies that can help build and maintain healthy relationships in spite of these hurdles.
The first strategy involves communication. Military couples must communicate openly about their needs and desires for connection. This includes being honest about feelings, fears, and desires, sharing thoughts, and listening actively to one another's perspectives. They should also talk regularly about what they miss most when apart and discuss how they plan to stay connected while apart.
Another strategy is to make time for each other daily. Even if living under the same roof, couples may not see each other as much as they would like. Finding pockets of time alone, even if just fifteen minutes, can help them feel closer and more connected. This could mean taking walks together, watching TV shows, reading books or articles together, or cuddling on the couch.
It's also important to establish rituals and routines that bring comfort and familiarity to a chaotic lifestyle.
Making dinner together every night, creating a routine before bedtime, or going out for ice cream after school pick-up. These small moments provide continuity in an otherwise unpredictable environment.
Seek professional assistance from counselors who specialize in military families. Counselors offer support during stressful times and teach coping skills for managing relocation anxiety and navigating changes in family dynamics. They can help couples identify areas where intimacy has suffered and create action plans to address those issues.
By using these strategies, military spouses can strengthen their relationship and maintain intimacy despite frequent moves. The key is prioritizing communication, finding ways to connect with each other, establishing routines, and seeking professional help when needed. With effort, commitment, and openness, military couples can build resilience against challenges that threaten relationships.
How do military couples maintain intimacy and relational cohesion when facing frequent relocations?
Military families often struggle with balancing their personal and professional lives due to the frequent relocations that come with being in the military. Maintaining a strong bond is important for both spouses and children who are dealing with these changes. Research suggests that military couples can stay connected by openly communicating about their feelings of stress and anxiety related to moving, and by creating new routines and rituals as they settle into each new location (Scherer et al.