Dear Friends,

Welcome to the New Year and to our Winter Newsletter! 

Winter in Michigan can be an ever-changing surprise. You might have your snow blower cleaned and fueled up, only to have a very mild snowfall. Or you could leave the house without a hat and gloves only to be hit with an arctic blast of wind! Military and veteran families are often familiar with “things change,” and Plan B or Plan C becomes the new plan. HomeFront Strong is here to remind you of helpful strategies you can use to be successful during times of expected – and unexpected – change. Learning to manage your stress and emotions, finding ways to stay grounded in your current situation, and building a community are essential tools to build resilience in your life. 
This month, we encourage you to use this newsletter to refresh your memory on some of the skills you learned in HomeFront Strong. Pull out your workbook or log back on to your online modules at www.homefrontstrong.org and see what has changed for you over the weeks, months, or years.

We hope you stay warm, safe, and resilient this winter.

The HomeFront Strong Team
Skills Reminder:
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
An important part of building resilience is the regular use of grounding techniques. HomeFront Strong encourages several grounding strategies to help build mindfulness and promote relaxation.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a grounding strategy where you gradually move across muscle groups, tensing the muscle and then relaxing. For example, you might start in your hands, squeezing your fingers tight for a count of 3, then releasing and breathing deeply for a count of 3. Then you’d move up to your arms, tensing and releasing, and continuing to move across the different muscle groups in your body. While going through muscle groups, pay attention to how your body feels when your muscles are tensed and when they are relaxed. This will help you notice where you carry tension throughout the day, and will also help you learn to release that muscle tension.
The HomeFront Strong workbook (pages 39-41) and online modules (session 4) have a full script for practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation. The website also has an audio recording of this exercise. You can find additional resources for practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation online and in mobile apps for your smart devices. Incorporating a grounding strategy like Progressive Muscle Relaxation into your daily routine feels great, and is a proven way to reduce stress and build resilience!
Where in the Mitten?
Where We've Been: Over the years we have traveled throughout the state to bring you information about HomeFront Strong. Our outreach efforts to support military and veteran spouses really show when we look at where YOU have all been. Just look at all of the places in Michigan where our HomeFront Strong participants call home!
Staff Highlight

It’s been a while since we last saw each other, and it might feel nice to know a thing or two about the people you have been emailing with or talking to on the phone. This new section of our newsletter will tell you a bit about each of our team members, or check out our website.
Image of HomeFront Strong Program Manager, Jennifer Lamb
Jennifer Lamb, LMSW, MSCD

Hi! I’m Jennifer. I’m the Program Manager for HomeFront Strong and the person you are likely to receive emails from if you have surveys coming up. I am a clinical social worker and joined HomeFront Strong in 2016. When I started with HomeFront Strong, I was leading in-person groups across the state. I moved to my current position two years ago and I love it. As a military veteran myself and as the spouse to a military veteran, I truly enjoy working with all of you who have joined HomeFront Strong. Whether I am calling you to check-in, conducting a 3-month follow-up interview, or emailing to see how I can help you out, I always feel a deep connection with you and your experiences.  

One of my favorite things in this program is working with an extremely talented and dedicated team. Over the next several newsletters, you’ll get to know them a bit through this section of the newsletter. With all of the changes in the past year, I am quite grateful for the continued ability to work with our team at HomeFront Strong and to work with you!
Resource Corner
Each month we highlight a few resources that military and veteran families might find helpful. Here are a few that may be of interest to you:
  • Military OneSource has a website dedicated to spouse education and career opportunities. This site provides tools and resources, assessments to help individuals identify their career goals, and even access to a career coach. 
  • INVESTVets helps connect veterans and their families with employment opportunities. They are dedicated to improving employment outcomes for Michigan’s veterans and are currently hosting virtual networking events to help facilitate connections and job opportunities. Visit their website to join a virtual networking event, or find out more information.

  • Tax season is right around the corner. Check out some of these resources for currently serving military families and veteran families:  
  • MyFreeTaxes, is a free online tax preparation and filing assistance platform available to qualified veterans, active-duty military, their families and other qualifying taxpayers.
  • Military OneSource offers a no-cost, electronic tax filing service. Anyone eligible under the Military OneSource program can complete, save, and file federal and state returns online at no cost. 
  • TurboTax Military Edition created a software program specifically for service members. There is currently a free version for junior enlisted and a discount version for senior enlisted and officers. This program is available to active duty and reserve/National Guard members.
  • H&R Block’s Free File offers free online assistance to anyone between the ages of 17 and 51 years with an Adjusted Gross Income of $69,000 or less, as well as for all active duty military. 

  • Looking for COVID resources? 
  • University of Michigan compiled a comprehensive list of potential resources in the Michigan COVID-19 Resource Guide. Even if you have visited this site recently, it is updated monthly and may have some new resources available.
  • The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency COVID-19 website posts up to date information and resources for veterans.
Mobile Apps
With so many apps out there for smartphone users, it is hard to know which ones are helpful. Our team has reviewed many different apps and these are some of our favorites. Check them out and let us know what you think!
      Simple Habit Tracker
  • Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Are you still doing them? Setting intention to do something good for yourself is a great start but following through on those goals can be a challenge. Simple Habit Tracker (iOS) offers hundreds of simple habit ideas and the ability to customize your own. You can set a challenge for yourself, stay on track, and achieve your personal goals with a simple planner and tracker. Free and available for iOS. An app with the same name and concept, Simple Habit Tracker (Android), also helps you track your habits and goals as a way to keep those resolutions and to build positive habits. Free and available for Android.
Headspace
  • Headspace provides users with meditation and mindfulness skills in the form of guided meditations that focus on different categories, such as: stress, walking/exercise, breathing exercises, and happiness. The app also has different tabs that can be used to explore specific topics, such as: focus, anger, morning, happy, relaxation, and walking. Headspace also features guided meditations on Progressive Muscle Relaxation. While there are several free resources available on the app now due to the pandemic, it typically costs $69.99 per year or $12.99 per month. Available for iOS and Android.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
  • If you are looking for an app to help deepen your Progressive Muscle Relaxation techniques, there are several to download. 
  • PMR Pro offers settings for beginners, advanced, or experienced practice. You can customize the app for sitting or lying down and can choose any length of time to dedicate to your practice. A sample of this audio can be found on the Android store. Available for iOS and Android for $5.99
  • Superchill offers a quote of the day and tracks the number of sessions you complete and how much time you have dedicated to yourself. Superchill has 3 free sessions before in-app purchases are needed. Available for iOS free with $0.99 monthly subscription after trial.
Are you following us on Facebook?
Make sure to follow our page https://www.facebook.com/homefrontstrong to see regular posts and helpful info about military life!
HomeFront Strong is part of Military Support Programs and Networks (M-SPAN), a collection of military mental health programs within the University of Michigan Depression Center.
HomeFront Strong
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105