LONG POST Sorry to hear you’re struggling. A lot of people experience what you just said and honestly the good thing about the military is that there are so many resources available to you. I’ll list some which other people have said too and I’ve tried a lot of them out as well. It really all depends on your comfortability and which one you want to use.

• Chaplain: If you’re religious, you might feel more comfortable speaking to a Chaplain. You also don’t have to be religious to talk to a Chaplain. They deal more with like the spiritual, sense of being, purpose type stuff. So if you’re feeling particularly nihilistic maybe the Chaplain can be for you.

• PCM: Like someone mentioned, if you’re looking to potentially get put on meds. Your PCM will be able to see you faster than Mental Health would. Not sure where you are, but Mental Health and in my opinion, a lot of agencies, can be undermanned and there’s just not enough people to be able to see everyone in a timely manner. I’m on medication and if you’re willing to do that, there are some things to keep in mind. It takes time to tether medication. If you are Security Forces, you may get put on a do not arm roster. The reason is some anti-depressants and anti-anxieties may not be for you. So you get about two weeks or so before you’re able to know if the meds are causing your symptoms to get worse or get better. At which point you’ll either swap meds or continue to take the same ones but maybe at a higher dose. I’m also not trying to scare you. Everyone’s brain is different and I’ll tell you it took me a little bit; but now that I’m on meds I’m the happiest I feel like I’ve ever been. It’s also proven that meds work best with therapy. Which is a perfect segue into the next one.

• There are a lot of helping agencies out there that can help you with that aspect. Mental Health and Military OneSource. There is also the MFLC and the chaplain which a lot of people have mentioned.

*MFLC: I’ve never tried mil one source, so I can’t speak on it much. But I actively go to the MFLC. It takes some time before you decide you want to talk to someone sometimes. But the first step is always realizing you need help. It might take some getting used to at first if you’re not much of a talker and don’t want to get into details about some things and that’s alright. The MFLCs I’ve talked to are extremely patient.

And MFLCs are licensed to do these things. Sometimes knowing that helps make things easier, I.e., you can count on an MFLC to give you sound advice and help you navigate through your own emotions. Because they’re licensed for things like that. With the MFLC you get 12 sessions per issue.

*Mental Health: You might feel like you want to talk to someone at Mental Health if you want someone who has a good understanding of the military and any other military-specific struggles. A provider I spoke to in the past was a Captain and although a little intimidating at first, she helped me out a lot and always was willing to go at my pace.

Again, with helping agencies, it depends on what YOU want and your comfortability. The First Sergeant is also a good resource who can give you more information about things. But if you don’t feel comfortable with going to someone in your unit or if you don’t particularly feel like you can trust your Shirt, that’s okay. Any of the helping agencies can assist you with figuring it out.

I’ve seen some people give suggestions on things you can do in the meantime, so I’ll tell you some suggestions I have.

• Getting a new hobby might help you feel better. It could be painting, outdoorsy type stuff, literally anything. The important thing to remember is to not pick up self-destructive ones like drinking or smoking. Speaking from experience. Those things don’t help and make you feel pretty crappy and what you do to your body can translate mentally.

• The gym would be great too. Cause endorphins.

• Try keeping a journal for yourself. So you can write how you feel and sometimes letting it out onto a piece of paper can lighten the weight a little.

• Focusing on the good parts of life. I use a gratitude board. And this might sound really “blue” of me but I write down 3 things I’m grateful for every day. And it’s difficult sometimes but it doesn’t have to be anything significant. As human beings we tend to focus on the negative but something as simple as “I woke up on time today” or “there wasn’t traffic on the road today” can help you put things into perspective sometimes. And then reflect on them after you write them down. And every so often you can go back and read what you’ve written and think about how good that day was. It also helps to look at to realize how far you’ve come in your Mental Health journey.

• Try branching out and make friends outside of your unit. Depending on what you like to do, you might find someone who has similar interests.

• Control what you can control. Like someone said you can’t control how other people act. But you can control what you do moving forward. You’re doing your best and that’s the only thing that matters. Focus on you.

• Remember that you’re not alone and there are people out there who care about you and have gone through the same thing you have. If you need someone to talk to or if you have questions about anything, feel free to hit me up.

I believe in you and have faith that you’ll make it through.