Military Spouses Separation Strategies
Military spouses must cope with many challenges when their partner is deployed for an extended time. One major challenge is maintaining emotional closeness while physically separated from each other. Maintaining emotional closeness requires both parties to be deliberate about keeping communication lines open, setting aside regular time for connection, being creative in how they spend that time together, and finding ways to stay physically close despite distance.
Communication Lines Open
Communicating regularly is vital to maintaining emotional intimacy during long separations. Regular contact through phone calls, text messages, video chats, emails, social media, or letters can help couples feel connected. The frequency of communication should depend on the length of separation but ideally be daily if possible. Sharing personal stories, experiences, updates, photos, videos, memories, hopes, fears, dreams, desires, and plans helps couples stay connected. Initiating conversations, asking questions, listening actively, sharing feelings honestly, and responding empathetically also help keep communication flowing.
Set Aside Time for Connection
Making regular time for conversation is essential for maintaining emotional intimacy. Setting a specific time to chat every day or week allows couples to prioritize talking over other activities. Couples should avoid interruptions as much as possible to maximize quality time together. They can set reminders on their phones or write down dates and times on a calendar. Keeping appointments shows respect for one another's schedules and makes the other partner more likely to show up at the scheduled time. Physical touches like hugs or kisses before saying goodbye and virtual ones such as holding hands or giving a shoulder massage can be included in these sessions.
Creative Connection Activities
Couples must get creative with how they spend time together when separated by distance. They could engage in shared activities like watching movies or TV shows simultaneously, playing board games online, reading books together, cooking meals together from afar, or writing love letters. They could also take turns planning fun things to do when reunited, make future travel plans, create family traditions, or plan surprises for each other. These activities build excitement and anticipation that strengthens bonds.
Sending gifts, writing letters of encouragement, and creating new inside jokes are ways to feel closer even from afar.
Finding Ways to Stay Close
Technology has made it easier than ever to stay close despite being far apart. Military spouses can use apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts to video chat. They may send care packages or send small tokens representing themselves to keep each other company while apart. Virtual tours, museum visits, or tourist attractions can help couples explore new places without physically travelling there. Sharing food experiences like trying new recipes, going on culinary adventures, or sending favorite snacks can deepen connection.
Finding ways to relieve stress through exercise, meditation, yoga, therapy, or mindfulness practices will help both parties cope with the challenges of separation and foster emotional closeness.
Maintaining emotional intimacy requires deliberate communication strategies, setting aside regular time for connection, creative virtual activities, and finding physical ways to be close. By following these guidelines, military couples can stay emotionally connected despite long separations.
Which strategies enable military couples to maintain emotional intimacy and relational cohesion across long-distance separations?
Emotional intimacy and relational cohesion are important factors in any relationship, but they can be particularly challenging for military couples who may experience long periods of separation due to deployments and other military obligations. There are several strategies that military couples can employ to maintain these crucial aspects of their relationship despite being apart.