Veterans & Post-Exit Care
Life as a member of the armed forces is a process of continuous transition and adjustments. Leaving service is a life-altering change that not only affects you but it can also affect your family, friends, and the people around you. Post-exit from service can be both a positive and negative experience that is important to be prepared for. At Insight Psychological we are committed to helping you and your family create a transition plan that will help you prepare for your new life outside of service.
Symptoms & signs of stress from leaving the armed forces
If you are about to or have recently excited the armed forces, you’re looking at a different future that may hold uncertainty. You may be wondering about what you’ll do in the future, you may feel uneasy, anxious, or unsure of what your future holds.
You may be experiencing some of the following typical symptoms of anxiety, depression, or grief:
Anxiety
- Inability to stop worrying about your future
- Feelings of never-ending stress
- Being easily startled and/or quick to panic
- Feeling socially isolated or alienated from others in your life
- Problems in your social relationships
- Fatigue, difficulty sleeping
- Inability to catch your breath
- Headaches
- Trembling, muscle tension, muscle aches
- Diarrhea
- Sweating
- Heart palpitations
Depression
- Indecisiveness and inability to concentrate
- Feeling guilty
- Feeling worthless
- Thoughts of committing suicide or of death
- Lack of interest in everyday activities
- Lack of joy in things or activities that used to bring pleasure
- Feeling irritated
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Headaches
- Back pain, chest pain, muscle aches, and joint pain
- Digestive problems
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- Change in appetite or weight
- Self-destructive behaviour (alcohol or drug use/abuse)
Grief
- Extreme sadness
- Inability to function
- Obsession with the career change and how you will adapt
- Feelings of anger or guilt
- Numbness
- Irritability
- Withdrawing from others
- Lack of appetite
- Digestive problems
- Sleeplessness or sleeping too much
- Feeling achy
- Headaches
When is it time to get help?
It’s normal and very common to feel apprehension. This is a big change in your life. A change always means an ending, and an ending usually brings with it some complicated feelings. Sometimes, these feeling just feel too big to deal with or overcome. If you’re experiencing the above symptoms frequently or with severity, you are feeling severe culture shock and aren’t coping as a civilian, or you feel lost and it’s taking a toll on your everyday life including the relationships with your family and friends, we’d recommend that you get help.
What will I get out of treatment with Insight Psychological?
- Individual therapy and support
Individual therapy and support to strengthen resilience, and develop coping and rebuilding strategies. - Care and support for work/life transition
We can help with adjustment difficulties, unaddressed psychological concerns, and relationship and family issues by providing specific treatment plans for you and your family. - Assessment and preparation
We can help prepare you for a new career or profession as well as provide a formal career assessment to help guide you on your new journey.
With support, you can come out of this life-altering transition more resilient and better able to cope with all of life’s changes. We have specialized therapists to help you in this area online or in person. Contact us for more information.
