Tis’ the season to move!
Summer brings a lot of experiences and events for military families, including the peak season for permanent change of station (PCS). This time last year I saw at least 10 moving trucks in one week alone arriving to pack out families and deliver new household goods. PCSing can be an exciting time, but it can also bring stress, as it is a major life event.
Whether it’s your first time or the 10th time moving, the anxiety of the known and unknown can plague your thoughts. Daytime contemplations and late night questions of: “Where will we live? Where are the best schools? Will both our cars make it?” can be overwhelming.
However, this event can also become one that you look forward to whenever your family’s rotation date rolls around. By simply creating an awareness and optimistic attitude you can make positive adjustments for future duty stations every time.
During our first three moves I did not realize the problem was my outlook. No duty station was ever (while we were present) the best duty station. The new place never had the right restaurants, they didn’t have enough activities for kids, they didn’t have the best stores and they sure as heck didn’t have enough jobs for spouses. Whatever the case was, at each duty station I found a reason to not be happy. Even when we moved to a place that I really wanted, I still had a breakdown.
