It's going to be a stressful time for you both. You can help your sailor through it by listening to him and encouraging him. Without your encouragement and support, your sailor may get overwhelmed by the obstacles you are facing together. With your support, he may be able to refocus, continue on, and hopefully return the encouragement along the way when you are struggling. Talk to him about how proud you are of him and what he is doing. Mention how you are proud to say you are a "sailor's girlfriend." Remind him of everything he has accomplished so far (boot camp, training, other hurdles). If he is worried about the relationship, talk about how it is tough but that you will be so much stronger as a couple for going through it. Help him come up with a detailed plan of action for whatever problem or goal he is having. There may be days where your sailor loves what he is doing, but there also may be some days where he is unhappy. During the days where things are a little harder, remind him what he is doing for both of your futures. If you are facing a deployment or trying to make it through boot camp, make plans for what you want to do when he gets home. If you are waiting until his next leave, have a creative countdown until the next time you can see each other. Depending on his assignments, commands, or duties, your sailor's ability to communicate with you or take leave may change with short notice. The ability of any service member to take a vacation or a trip is wildly different than that of civilians. They are also limited to where they can go, where they will be stationed, or how much free time they have on any certain duty. Try and remain flexible to help with stress levels and expectations in your relationship. Some examples include: If he is deployed, know that his deployment length will depend on where is he deployed, what type of vessel he is deployed on, and his assignment or command. His command may have a radius of several miles which he won't be allowed to go outside of. He may have to stand duty for a certain amount of days at a time, meaning he may not to have a Monday through Friday work week. Your ability to see them, how long you can see them, or where you two can connect may be different depending on the status of your relationship (married, engaged, or dating). His command may be on land or on a ship. As you are both working through this difficult time, practice shifting your perspective and imagining what he might be going through. It is hard for you to be without your sailor, but remind yourself that he is without you as well as everyone else he is close to. He likely has to be away from and have limited communication with his family and friends who are not enlisted as well. Getting practice in doing this will help you: Develop empathy. Reduce petty arguments. Help you both communicate better.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Encourage your sailor as much as possible. Keep focused on the future. Be flexible. Put yourself in his shoes.

It's easy to lose track of what your body is telling you and get into the habit of eating when you're not really hungry. If you want to eat something, stop and ask yourself how you're feeling. Are you actually hungry, or do you just want to eat because you're stressed, bored, or craving a particular flavor? If you're hungry, grab a snack. If not, find a way to distract yourself until the urge passes. Pay attention to cues such as hunger pains, a growling stomach, or lightheadedness and irritability. If you're not sure whether you're really hungry, try drinking a glass of water. It can be easy to confuse feelings of hunger and thirst. When you eat, take your time and be mindful of how you are feeling. Stop eating when you feel satisfied, before you feel uncomfortably full. When you have a plate full of food in front of you, it's hard to resist the urge to polish it offeven if it's way too much! One good way to avoid overeating is to put smaller portions on your plate. At every meal, try to stick to about 1 cup (240mL) of carbs (such as pasta, rice, or cereal) and the same amount or more of fruits and vegetables. Keep servings of meat no bigger than the palm of your hand. A 1 cup (240mL) serving of food is about the size of your clenched fist. You can also try dividing your plate into equal quarters. Fill 1 quarter with a whole grain (such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice), 1 quarter with a lean protein (such as fish, poultry breast, or tofu), and the other 2 quarters with vegetables. If those portions seem small, try eating your meals on a smaller plate. If your plate is filled up, it can trick your brain into thinking you're eating more food. When you're trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to skip eating altogether sometimes. However, doing this can often backfire, because you'll be hungrier and more likely to overeat at your next meal. Try to eat at 3 healthy, satisfying meals each day. It's especially important to eat a good breakfast, since this will energize you and prevent you from getting too hungry later in the day. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat each day. Keep a food journal to help you count how many calories you're eating in an average day. Ask your doctor or a dietitian how many calories you need to be eating each day based on your age, weight, current eating habits, and activity level. You can find out how many calories are in a serving of prepackaged food by checking the nutrition label. Many restaurants also have calorie information in their menus. When eating fresh or homemade food, you can use a guide like this one to approximate how many calories are in each meal: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/calorie-checker/.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Pay attention to your body's hunger cues. Watch your portion sizes. Avoid skipping meals. Keep track of your calories.