APRIL 27, 2015, by Meghan Belnap – After your term of service is up you will be returning to the more relaxed civilian world. It would be very easy for you to slip from the high grooming standards that you have maintained for the last few years. If you take the time and effort to follow these few simple tips, you can stay the squared away individual that you are today.
Get (and Maintain) A Haircut
It was the first thing that happened when you arrived at boot camp and it is something that you should keep doing on a regular basis. A nicely styled haircut will project a competent image as you re-enter the workforce. The easiest way to stay in the habit is to set a repeating monthly alarm in the calendar function on your phone. You do not have to keep a military cut, but long hair went out of style long ago.
Set a Bath Routine
Decide what your new civilian appearance is going to be and the steps that will be necessary to achieve it. Those steps will be your daily hygiene routine and you will want to follow them as rigorously as you followed the ones set by the military. Every day after you shower shave your facial hair into the style that you have chosen. Trim your beard and mustache every day with classy Vintage Blades for a sharp look. Your appearance will continually be a reflection of who you are as a person or employee. Make it a good one.
Put Your Laundry Away (Be Tidy)
Do not let yourself get lazy when it comes to your laundry or other menial tasks. You don’t have your Drill Sargent or CO during routine inspections but you should still carry on with good habits that you picked up while in the service. Fold and put clothes in the dresser, if necessary. Hang dress shirts and trousers in the closet. Your clothing is a part of your grooming and it should be as well looked after as your hair and face.
Stay Active
After your years in the military, the temptation is there to find a comfortable chair and do nothing at all. That is a trap that can quickly rob you of the physique that you have built up. If you do not want to, you do not have to maintain the physical fitness training that you have been doing, but do take the time to take a walk or join a sports league. Try to keep some of the build that you spent so long building.
Get Some Sleep
You will be tempted to stay up later and sleep later in the morning. Once the habit of late nights sets in it will be hard to break when you find a civilian job. You will find that you are getting less sleep then you did when you were in the service. If you start out with a regular bed time right away, this will never become a problem.
All of these tips boil down to just one central point: Do not give up years of personal discipline just because you no longer wear the uniform. You were a credit to the country in the military. There is no reason that you can’t be one as a civilian.
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise as well as researching new topics to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitterright here.