With my suitcase in one hand, my other hand holding onto my baby, I stepped through the front door of our new home in base housing. The house was old but it was new to us: white walls, tan carpeting, laminate flooring, the usual.
“Ok…, so this is it for the next three years,” I thought.
We had just PCS’d to a new duty station. Of course it was a city we had never been to before. We didn’t know anyone around us. And now we had to make our lives here.
A PCS move for a military family is very different from how a civilian family may move. Reason #1, is that the military family are told to move rather than having an option and #2 the move is most likely a temporary one. So in essence, we’re told to lay down roots, but uproot those roots to put down new roots later. Thanks, military.
Moving to a new town can be scary, frustrating, isolating, exciting, and more. Here’s the scoop on what you need to know when moving to a new duty station.
Secure home base
You will feel scattered if your home is still scattered. Moving is a great excuse to start anew and match your life to those organization pictures you pinned on Pinterest. Unpack every box. Make sure everything has a place. Try out new home decor. Remember this feeling of a new start. (Because if you’re anything like me, things will go back to being disorganized again in three months). A home that is settled, will be the jumping point for your new adventure.
Seek out your go-tos
Review sites, facebook groups, word-of-mouth will be your guide to finding your go-tos. Help your family adjust by prioritizing some familiar things to them, for example, a new favorite pizza or sushi restaurant, a new favorite park, a new barber.
Develop a routine
A routine or schedule and you and your military family feel “normal” again. Figure out the best traffic route. If your service member is going to be busy, try to keep work days as chill as possible, and then schedule is some fun activities for the weekend or any off days. Use those days as your chance to explore together.
Sign up for it all! Well kind of.
Let’s face it, you need friends. If you have babies or furbabies, you also need a sitter. Once your house it settled, and you’re starting to get into a groove, get out there and socialize! Command picnics, workout classes, PTA, running/hiking groups, cooking classes, etc. Keep an open mind to meeting new people. To help keep your sanity, a new social circle is a must. Your conversation starter? “I just moved to the area, can you recommend a good____?” Boom.
Embrace it
This will be your home for the next few years. Remember all of the positives, and try to turn the negatives into positives. Try not to have any expectations. If you keep comparing this duty station to the last or pointing out its flaws, you may never give yourself a chance to be happy here. The only constant is change right? You have the final say in how you feel about this situation.
For more on military life, visit on Operation In Touch, or visit their facebook page or pinterest page
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MSB New Media & Unilever. The opinions and text are all mine.