By: Maria Burns

Even by choice, leaving your friends, family members, and loved ones behind is never an easy decision to make. We have all been there telling ourselves how this opportunity to go and help people is calling our name. We remind ourselves again and again how the experience, the new friendships, and the income is something we cannot pass up, so we take it. It does not mean we do not love or won’t miss our family. Ironically, we are taking the position for our family and our future. How do we stay connected though?

Technology is going to be your saving grace, your best friend. Without it, we would not be able to stay in touch with those back home. To be able to share our ups and downs of life instantly with someone is a connection we crave to have to some extent. To fulfill this craving, we must remember to be intentional with our spare time and utilize it to continue and maintain our current relationships.

Here at Krucial, we understand accepting a position for deployment or assignment can cause loneliness and a blended mix of emotions for leaving. Therefore, our Krucial Krew heavily relies on the ability to communicate via FaceTime, phone call, or text every single day or, at the very least, once a week on their days off. Reaching out reminds them that even though you are gone and helping other communities, you still have them in your mind and in your heart. As a travel medical personnel, it is quite possible for you to have opposite schedules as those back home. If you happen to be on opposite schedules, a great app to download is called Marco Polo*. This app allows you to record yourself chatting and updating them about your life without having to stress about finding ten minutes of free time for both of you.

An additional way to cope with being away from your loved ones is to pray and speak to them spiritually. To many of our Krew members, this is a way to feel connected to their religion while showing their love for everyone back home. For some, this is a deeper, more meaningful way to connect with others. However, another simple way to stay in touch with others is to send postcards and letters. It is a great way to show off the amazing community you are helping while sending a touch of love in the mail.

We must also acknowledge that there are some Krew members who may not feel the need to talk to those back home daily which is completely normal. It can be a constant reminder they are missing out on memories and moments with their loved ones, and they may need the space to be able to focus on the mission fully.

To our reservists, you are allowed to be in the moment at your job, in the city you took the assignment, helping the community around you.

It was stated by a few Krucial Reservists how, to them, it is much easier to push their feelings aside and look at the bigger picture which is helping others. It is perfectly fine to be strictly mission-minded and be present in the moment. People recharge and connect with others in many, many ways so there is no right or wrong way to go about staying connected.

How do you stay connected to your friends and family? Do you have any cool, innovative apps other Krew members should check out? Let us know in the comments below.

Interested in contributing to the Krucial Kollective? Send us an e-mail at marketing@krucialrr.org and let us know what you would like to write!