Combating Stress in a Combat Zone

There is no shortage to the number of stressors soldiers endure in a combat zone.

For soldiers like me, who never go outside the wire, sources of anxiety include 80-plus hour work weeks, crammed living quarters, snoring roommates, cramped offices and an overdose of PowerPoint.

And just to keep things interesting, our Islamic terrorist friends will throw some badly aimed rockets at us in the middle of the night.

So how to cope?

The solution is as predictable as those supermarket tabloids that claim “eating less and exercising more” are the secrets to weight loss.

The so-called “secrets” to enduring combat zone living are sleep, exercise, communication and faith.

Sleep: Has to be high-quality – a particular challenge for someone who works the night shift and sleeps during the day. I take melatonin to help. I have the bottom bunk, so I’ve converted my bunk into an igloo of sorts by draping blankets over the sides to block all light. I play mellow music in my music player to block the noise.

Exercise: This is often a soldier’s only daily “escape.” Going to the gym allows GIs to find refuge in their own little worlds with the help of music and headphones, which are generally prohibited from being worn anywhere outdoors.

Communication: Often the most challenging of the four secrets in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, where communications infrastructure is often third-world. Soldiers quickly learn to use their internet connections when others are at work or sleeping so they can get the bandwidth they need to communicate. The highlight of my day is my video contact with my family back in Redlands, which is 11.5 hours behind Afghanistan. For the life of me, I don’t know how soldiers in previous wars were able to stay in touch with just letters. My mind just can’t grasp it.

Faith: The traditional Protestant service I attend each Sunday morning is my one outlet each week for recharging my spiritual batteries. I would also attend Bible study if I could, but that occurs while I’m working the night shift.

So those are my secrets. Together, these four coping mechanisms are how I keep my morale from tanking as well as fighting the feeling that I'm a pencil that can no longer be sharpened.