“There’s always something we can do…”

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Bugenig
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs

“There's a place for every specialty in medicine and mental health is where I fit, where I felt I could affect the most change. The thing I always enjoyed going through my training was the stories people brought with them. With mental health, you get to help them with the struggles that they're facing. Most of those struggles revolve around stress. Dealing with stress is just that, it's dealing with it; it's not avoiding it, it's not thinking it's going to go away. It's a question you ask yourself everyday like 'how am I going to manage this today?' or remembering that we do have a lot under our control even though it doesn't always feel that way. I sort of have this running joke. A lot of times in the military we don't always feel like we have a lot of choice or control. People will often times say, 'I don't get to choose what I wear or how my hair is styled.' If they are struggling with that concept, I will jokingly remind them that they chose what undergarment they put on that day. There's always something we can do, we can change, or we can control.”


Maj. Meghan Steinour, 9th Medical Group mental health flight staff psychologist


Hometown: Camarillo, California