Holiday Wellness for Remote Duty Stations

How to stay nourished, grounded, and connected when you’re far from home.

Spending the holidays at a remote duty station is a completely different experience than spending them with family. It brings challenges that most people simply can’t understand — limited groceries, smaller communities, fewer holiday events, and the ache of distance from the people and traditions you love.

And if you’re stationed overseas, the time zones, culture differences, and isolation during the holidays can hit even harder.

But you can feel healthy, supported, and emotionally grounded — even if you’re celebrating on the other side of the world.

Here’s how to make holiday wellness feel doable, wherever you’re stationed.

Keep your meals extremely simple — and consistent

Food options may be limited, expensive, or unfamiliar. This is not the season for fancy recipes.

Focus on staple basics:

• eggs

• ground turkey or chicken

• canned tuna

• rice or potatoes

• any accessible veggies

• fruit

• Greek yogurt (if available)

• frozen options
  

Consistency matters more than variety.

Try to keep a simple rhythm:Protein + Carb + Produce at most meals.

This keeps you full, energized, and stable during an emotionally heavy season.

Create one small routine that stays the same everywhere

When your environment changes, your body looks for something steady. Choose one tiny daily habit:

• a 10-minute walk

• morning tea before the kids wake up

• 5 minutes of stretching

• a daily protein-focused breakfast

• a nighttime wind-down ritual
  

This becomes an anchor during the season.

Move for your mood, not just to burn calories

Holiday loneliness and isolation hit harder when you’re far from home. Movement becomes a tool for:

• emotional regulation

• anxiety relief

• grounding

• breaking up the day

• combating overseas holiday blues
  

Even 10 minutes makes a difference.

Make your own traditions — even if it feels small

You don’t need a big family gathering or a fully decorated home to make a memory. Try:

• a new holiday breakfast

• a movie night

• a walk to look at lights

• a small gift exchange with friends

• a themed dinner night

• a simple craft with kids
  

Small traditions become meaningful fast.

Stay connected creatively

Connection matters for your mental health more than anything else.

Ideas:

• Schedule weekly FaceTimes with family

• Send voice notes instead of long calls

• Share meals digitally

• Set up a holiday group chat with friends from previous duty stations

• Join a community event on base if it feels right
  

You’re not meant to navigate the season alone.

Remote duty stations can feel isolating — but they can also create some of the most peaceful, grounding, and intimate holiday seasons. Focus on simplicity, connection, and small routines, and you’ll feel more supported than you expect.