HEALTH & WELLBEING
Battles on the Home Front
by Alexandra Hodges, Help for Heroes “ T
oday I got to the point of packing my bags. My other half has been so narky, the smallest things get to him. I phoned to get him a doctor’s
appointment but couldn’t and then a letter came through the door from Help for Heroes Hidden Wounds. We sat down and filled in the form; he was shocked at what I feel he isn’t owning up to. For the first time in three months he has listened and is willing to get help” – a Help for Heroes beneficiary.
When people think of wounded, injured or sick servicemen and women they often think of those recovering from psychological and physical injuries sustained while deployed overseas.
However, this is not the full story. Our beneficiaries have long been telling us that there is another internal battle faced by countless veterans and Armed Forces families on the home front, which has now been backed up by recognised research.
Stress, worry and low mood can affect anyone. We experience these everyday stresses and strains in different ways, be it a sudden lack of motivation or interest in everyday activities, an uncontrollable sense of worry or fear, physical tension in the head or shoulders, difficulty sleeping or any number of other symptoms.
When these feelings start dominating our thoughts for hours, days, weeks and months it can be difficult to see a way out. This is where H4H Hidden Wounds comes in. This new psychological wellbeing service seeks to help veterans and families to understand anxiety, depression and stress and learn how to positively manage these emotions.
Confidential support can be accessed nationally over the phone, Skype or face to face (currently only in Wiltshire) and is delivered by H4H Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners who understand the unique circumstances of Armed Forces life.
Sarah’s story For Sarah, life was good. She lived with her husband Jason close to her Mum and was looking forward to getting back to work after maternity leave. Then Jason was posted to the other end of the country and their lives changed instantly. After a long search, Sarah found a part-time job but missed the company and support of her mum. She felt that one thing after another was being thrown at her and noticed she had difficulty sleeping, was not eating well and no longer did the things she used to love. Jason also noticed she wasn’t herself but didn’t know what to do. When he heard about the H4H Hidden Wounds service, he thought they could help so gave them a call – that was when things started to change for the better.
www.raf-ff.org.uk Envoy Spring 2015 43
Getting in touch
If any of the issues mentioned on this page resonate with you, H4H Hidden Wounds might be able to help. The service is open to all veterans, their families and the families of those currently serving.
Servicemen and women in need of psychological support should contact their Medical Officer, Unit Welfare Officer, or Help for Heroes to see if we can support you in other ways. We encourage those in need of support for children under 18 or for complex issues, such as PTSD, to also get in touch and we’ll help you to find an organisation that can help.
You can contact the H4H Hidden Wounds team 9am-5pm Monday to Friday:
Tel: 01980 844300
Email: hidden.wounds@
helpforheroes.org.uk Website: www.
helpforheroes.org.uk/ hidden-wounds.
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