Driving truck as a career is difficult. It can be isolating and lonely when you are on the road for a long stretch. Friends and family are at home living their life and you are missing the big and small moments that are happening. How you deal with this is up to you. There are strategies to help ease the pain of missing your friends and family at home, especially during the holiday season.
When it comes to special days on the calendar while you are on the road, make a different plan. Change the things you can control. In most cases, you can’t control when you will be on the road but you can control what days you celebrate milestones and holidays. For example, if you are going to be home from December 21st – 24th but won’t be home for December 25th, plan for your family to celebrate Christmas Eve on December 23rd and Christmas day on December 24th. Depending on the age of the children in your family, they will adapt easily or won’t know the difference. The same strategy can be used for birthdays, anniversaries and any other holiday your family celebrates.
Technology is your friend on the road. It can be used to stay connected to family and friends at home. There are so many options these days. It can either be used to call specific people directly or used to stay connected to your friends and family through social media. Consider giving daily updates on your social media, take pictures/videos and you will likely get the social interaction you might be craving on the road.
Get creative while you are on the road. Find fun ways to stay connected with your family. Are there apps that you can use to play games together while you are not at home? Can you leave a couple books at home for your kids while you take the same ones on the road with you so that you can read the books to them? Could you listen to the same audio book as your children so that you have something to discuss and keep you connected? Another strategy to consider is to give your family a map, let them know where you are every night so they can mark it. It gives you something to talk about daily as well as when you get home. You can show them pictures of each place.
When you do get home, be present. Spend as much time as possible with your family and friends. Celebrate anything you might have missed on the road. Consider having a few small gifts or post cards of places you visited while you are out on the road. Make your time at home count so that when you unavoidably head back out on the road you are ready. If you feel connected to your family and friends when you leave home, it will help get you through the next stretch on the road.
RESOURCES
https://www.drivebigtrucks.com/blog/tips-for-how-truck-drivers-stay-connected-to-family/
https://www.driveco.org/truckers-battling-holiday-blues/
https://www.tri-countytruck.com/enjoy-holidays-as-a-trucker-away-from-home/