Most people under estimate the significance of mental strength when it comes to working on a ship out at sea. Whether someone is away for one week, six weeks or three months, it takes a lot of mental strength to adapt to the change in lifestyle as well as being able to cope with the emotional side of missing loved ones back home. Physical strength comes with the job. You are kept fit by being active while working on board 24/7 as well as by using the ship gym equipment. Mental strength on the other hand takes a lot more to build up. Most people say that this comes with age and develops over time. As you grow older you learn to cope with life’s issues and the curve ball’s, which it throws at you a lot more than when you were younger. So far for me my biggest hurdle has been having the ability to adapt to a change in lifestyle every seven days. One week I’ll be with my friends and family at home, working on the farm, feeding the animals, cooking dinners, shopping and sending time with friends socialising in town. Then the next week I’ll be working 12-16 hour days on a ship at the other end of the country. And I have to be honest it does get really hard at times! As time is passing by I am taking one day at a time and learning techniques on how to manage my life when change occurs. It’s not easy all the time, but that’s just Life! We have to accept what it throws at us and find the inner strength to pull through it.