Lets be realistic here, I’m sure that when 80% of y’all hear the word “spouse social” there is a collective wall that goes up and you immediately start turning through your usual list of excuses on how to get out of it. Even as a key spouse and an extrovert, there are times that I think “ugh, do I really want to sacrifice my precious Thursday night to go?” But you know what, community is EVERYTHING, especially in this WAF world, and socializing with people outside of your normal bubble is an incredible way to stretch yourself and grow as a woman.

Tell Your Fears/Doubts To Shove It

Worried about relations between spouses of different ranks? Unsure if you will have anyone with a similar interest to talk to? What if they are all super close and you’ll be alone? You know what?! You are not alone in these fears! There are only a few other life adjustments that force us to go in and meet new people, but we go through it anyway and upon reflection, we often forget all of those questions the little voice in our head was afraid of! Going in with an open mind, intent on making a point to ask a few people about themselves or see how someone else is doing can go such a long way. You have one big commanality and that is that everyone in that room is going through the same life journey as you. You never know the impact that you could make on someone elses day by just showing up and being able to say “I get it”!

Bring A Buddy

At least in our squadron, people tend to inprocess in groups. And its easy to get close to those who have come in at the same time as you because you are all experieincing this new adjustment together. When you get invited, or hear about a spouse social, reach out to the WAF who came in with you! Even if she may not end up being your cup of tea, having a wingman of sorts can really make these events less overwhelming and nerve-wracking.

You May Just Find Your Person

My own personal success story is that I was brought to a spouse event by a key spouse from my squadron (this was a gamechanger, I probably wouldn’t have gone if someone didn’t bring me!). It was a fine time, I was super nervous and it was held in our squadrons bar that I had never been to before. While I was there, I met a spouse that I clicked pretty well with with right away, I was so relieved! What was even better was that over the years, that friendship led me to some of my closest friends at this base:) You just never know what can come from one simple connection!