Beyond the Uniform: Veterans Navigating Life After Military Service
The transition was hard coming into the civilian world because I didn't know who to talk to. I didn't know what resources was out there for me. I was lost.
I got out of the Navy and immediately went to school. All of a sudden, I'm just like a community college student. You're not who you thought you were anymore.
I no longer had equipment to maintain. I no longer had to have accountability of my soldiers. I had nobody to lead.
It's a challenge because that's what gives you purpose to get your head off the pillow in the morning. I was okay for a while when I first got home. And then I just started feeling worthless.
Just couldn't understand why I was sad and had feelings of anxiety and depression and just didn't know how to handle those feelings.
If you don't know how to articulate like what's bothering you, you kinda just shove it down.
I didn't open up and talk to anyone. I was too afraid at one point to go to sleep 'cause I didn't want the nightmares to come back. And I started to realize that the best thing I could do is talk to other Vets. Felt like I lifted a massive weight off my shoulders when I was finally able to talk about it.
You were doing what you thought was your duty. So I've learned to know myself better than I had ever in the past and I've also learned how to look out for this in other people too so that maybe I could better be helpful if needed.
It took two years of realizing that I was hardheaded to learn how to ask for help.
And once you have a mission in the military and you get out, it's time for you to get another mission.You fought for this country and you deserve anything that the community and the VA has for you.
Do not be afraid of who you are and what you've done.
What I do is I share my story. Just remember that what you're going through, you're not alone.
Seeing people that are happy for me and that I'm doing well now kinda brings that sense of pride back that I was missing when I got out of the Navy.
Just making that connection, you know that you're not the only one that feels these things or might struggle with these things. There are other people who are going through the exact same thing. I've gone through tough periods before and come out of them and I can go through this tough period and come out of it as well.
