WELCOME HOME,NELLIS WARRIORS!

Nellis AFB, NevadaReintegration Program

2004

What Next?

• Official Welcome Home

• Tips for Successful Reintegration– Family Support – Life Skills– HAWC– Chapel

• Table Talks

• Welcome Home Gift

RETURN READJUSTMENTREINTEGRATION

Family Support Center

2-3327

3 R’S of REUNION

What is Reintegration?

• The PROCESS is the returning of airmen and

civilians back into a stable and “normal”

environment

• PREPARE families for the changes to their

home life when the deployed airmen return.

• Remember upon your return you will achieve a

NEW normal

• Reintegration is a SLOW process

Singles and ReintegrationPractical tips:

• Put your house back in order• New roommate• New residence

Recognize changes in yourself and in others• Different living environment• Social circle

•Assess and re-enter relationships• Friends• Family

Married Military Members

• Expect to return home to a different spouse

• For the first few weeks you are a guest in someone else’s home—act like it

• Understand your children’s responses

• Be gentle with your lover

• Go slow

Single Parents and Reintegration

• Custodial parent

• Non-custodial parent

• Strategies

• Communication– Caregiver– Child

• Bottom Line: Go Slow

Getting Back to Work• Changes in work environment

– Change of work pace

– Mission/duty changes

• Resentment from co-workers– Added work load due to TDY

– Deployment war stories

– Not part of “real” mission

• Staff turnover

Conclusion• Redeployment / reintegration…sounds easy,

natural, normal

• NORMAL may be quite stressful!

• Be patient and go slow!

• If you need assistance, ask! (chapel, unit, friends, life skills, medical personnel, family support center, etc.)

Any deployment can be a building block or a stumbling block– it’s up to everyone involved

FAMILY REUNION POST DEPLOYMENT

LIFE SKILLS

3-3880

Life Skills Support Center

• Variety of Deployment Locations and Experiences– Life in Danger??– Bored out of your mind??– Significant Events on the Home Front??

• Hard to predict how persons will react to deployments

Signs of Reintegration Stress

• Behavioral

• Cognitive

• Emotional

Behavioral Signs • Changes in eating habits• Changes in sleeping patterns• Fatigue, lack of energy• Jumpiness• Frustrated, irritable angry• Crying spells• Avoidance of others• Increase in alcohol use• Disregard for rules, regulations,

social norms

Cognitive Signs• Poor concentration

• Difficulty making decisions

• Flashbacks

• Unwanted thoughts

• Nightmares

• Memory Problems

Emotional Signs

• Loss of purpose or direction

• Loss of trust/confidence in leaders

• Quick to anger, impatience

• Depression, sadness

• Frustration, irritability

• Worried, anxious, keyed up

• Guilt, shame

Significant Signs of Distress

• Post Traumatic Stress– Definition– Signs

• Bizarre or unusual behavior

• Domestic Violence

• Abuse of alcohol

• Thinking about suicide

Solutions

• Take care of yourself– Mentally– Physically– Emotionally

• Communicate• Develop or renew outside interests• Allow for space and time• Establish realistic expectations• Think positive thoughts• Seek help if needed

Resources

• Chain of Command / Supervisors

• Family / Friends

• Life Skills Support Center (Please call 653-3880)

Practicing Safe Stress

Health and Wellness Center

(HAWC)

3-3375

Thoughts and Stress

• ABC’s of Emotional, Behavioral and Physical Responses

• A—Activating event or stressor• B—Beliefs, self-talk, thoughts -- Expectation of self, others, world -- Predictions of what will happen -- Judgment/evaluation of how good/bad• C—Consequences/responses

Choose How To Spend Your Time And Energy

• Set priorities

• Create balance in your life

-- Meditative/sensual mode

• Take time out

-- Hobbies

Learn To Change Your Environment

• Replace passivity with assertiveness -- Saying yes, Saying no -- Keep to the point

• Talk things out

• Develop significant and supportive relationships

-- Seek out others with similar issues -- Support group or professional help

Learn To Think Helpful Thoughts

• Stop and think• Translate worry into action• Rehearse mentally in preparation for situations• Stop resisting reality

-- Learn to let go• Think positive

-- Seek the higher power of humor• Savor the little things

Learn To Relax At Will

• Take a simple 5 step approach

• Try progressive relaxation

• Do deep breathing exercises

• Try breathing to a count

• Use scanning relaxation

• Try imagery techniques

Build Your Strength And Endurance

• Nutrition

• Get plenty of exercise and physical activity

COMMUNICATIONROADBLOCKS & ENHANCERS

Chapel

2-2950

Roadblocks to Communication

• High Risk Responses – Diminish self esteem– Trigger defensiveness, resistance, resentment– Can lead to dependency, withdrawal, feelings of

defeat, or of inadequacy– Decrease likelihood that the other will find their

own solution to their own problem– Block feelings– Reduce likelihood the other will constructively

express their true feelings

Roadblocks to Communication

- Judging- Criticizing- Name-Calling- Diagnosing- Praising Evaluatively

Roadblocks to Communication

- Sending Solutions - Ordering- Threatening- Moralizing- Excessive Questioning (especially “Why?”)- Advising

Roadblocks to Communication

- Avoiding the Other's Concerns - Diverting- Logical Argument- Reassuring

- Roadblock #13: Telling other people they are sending roadblocks

Communication Enhancers

• LISTEN!!

• “I” MESSAGES

Help you achieve what you really want: a warmer, closer relationship with another human being

Questions?

In conclusion…

• Again, welcome back

• Thank you for your service to your country

• Table Talks follow – group near the end of your table

• See FSC to sign for gift before you leave

• Remember, helping agencies are only a phone call away