Struggles of the Military Spouse, and a new way to connect with friends

Military Spouses have problems

Let’s talk about a few struggles that face military spouses. After that, we’ll discuss a useful tool to help. I don’t have a solution to EVERY problem… but I do have a new way to connect with friends. And if you can more easily connect with your own friends, you’re going to be much better off in tacking ANY problem that comes your way. And setting aside fearful words like struggles and problems… keeping in touch with friends is the best way to live a happy and satisfying life.

The life and struggles of the Military Spouse

When most people think “military,” they think “tough.” And they’re thinking about the Active Duty Service Members that are in the military. What people may not think about are the spouses. But let me tell you, they don’t live an easy life either. I know because I am one.

Uncertainty: never knowing ANYTHING

Let’s start with uncertainty. Plans for all sorts of things are constantly changing. Make a plan ya’ll… it’s great… it’ll give you some peace! Ok, plan made. But a moment later, the board has spun and it’s time to make a completely new plan. It’s just the way it goes. Whatever you think you have planned, it’s really just another daydream.

Rarely ever given a choice

Now let’s combine the uncertainty with a lack of choice. Oh… great…

Hey where do you want to move next?!? Haha jk jk… you don’t get a choice, and you’re going to Polk. Have fun!!!

This combination is tough for both the service member and the spouse. But for the spouse, they have to adapt everything and it can feel like being dragged around. It makes it really hard for spouses to maintain a career and social connections with the frequent and unpredictable change.

Being alone, what feels like ALL the time

Deployments are not fun. Having your spouse work lots of hours is not fun. And parenting alone is certainly not fun. You know most people get married because they like their spouse and like being around them. But unfortunately the Military Life is one with a lot of time spent away from one other.

Leaving people behind

With PCS moves about every 3 years, it’s tough to put down roots. It’s hard to establish a group of friends and right about the time things feel like home, it’s time to go again. Even when social circles are established, they are then left behind with the next move. And of course it’s rare to ever live near family.

We need help, a new and better way to connect with friends

Nothing is ever going to take away the uncertainty and lack of choices. (Or maybe Tinder… er, I mean the marketplace will, at least a little?) Many aspects of these are inevitable in the military. “Service Member” doesn’t come from nowhere! But there are some coping strategies on how to manage it all. One quick suggestion is to form a good self care routine. But to really help with the struggles of being alone and leaving people behind, it is SO important to connect with others.

I need my friends!

What do you need when you’re alone and struggling with being alone? Friendship, obviously! And it could be friendship with your normal friends, or friends that are related to you… sometimes referred to as “family.” And when struggling with leaving people behind, remember that it’s ok to maintain friendships even from a distance!

But it’s so hard! People are busy. Kids make life extra crazy. How is anyone supposed to make time to keep up with their friends? Scrolling social media hardly feels like connecting. Calling is way better but it’s just a pain to try and find a time that works for both you and your friends.

Or… is it hard?

Where are my friends? Hello? Anybody out there???

I have something to help with this. Meet Kovii, the free app that gives you what you need most… friendship! Kovii helps you connect real time for a call or video call with your own friends, without any scheduling or planning.

How?

Simply mark yourself available to your friends on the app. This is telling your friends that right now you’re free and interested in talking to them. You can add a status too, to give people an idea of what you’re in the mood to talk about. And they can choose to receive notifications when you become available to them. Rather than texting a bunch of friends to ask who’s free, Kovii finds someone for you.

Old things made new… oh so new

Remember how when you were a little kid and wanted to play after school with friends? You just went outside, and saw who else was playing. If they were outside, clearly they were free and interested in playing! Then moving online, when you wanted to chat with a friend you simply had to check who was on AOL IM. For anyone you saw online, you knew they were free to chat or they wouldn’t be logged in.

Now in 2020 when you want to socialize, you just scroll facebook. How depressing is that? Let’s bring back personable, real-time communication. With Kovii, you can once again find your friends that right now want to talk.

So what’s Kovii? It’s the place where you talk to your people. Talk anytime you want, with your friends who also want to talk to you.

New Year, new app. Cheers to reclaiming our friendships

Kovii was built by me, a Military Spouse, because I needed a better way to connect. I know it can help with the struggles many of us face. Try Kovii today, and start reclaiming your friendships.

Kovii is a free app. A premium version is planned to come later but even that will be a free upgrade for Active Duty U.S. Military and their spouses, forever.