SEOUL — Amber Jordan put her hand on the protruding belly of fellow military spouse Cresilda Paulino and smiled from ear to ear as she felt the baby kicking inside.

"I’ve been helping her with her pregnancy because she’s almost ready to pop," explained Jordan, the mother of an 8-month-old daughter. "I’m helping her with her new baby because I didn’t have anyone to help me on post when I was pregnant."

That scene of maternal bonding played out during a workshop Thursday, when about 130 military spouses from around South Korea learned how to thrive — not just survive — as they face their challenges.

One of the recurring themes of the day was seeking out and relying on the counsel of friends.

"It is so important to have friends because you get stressed … and if you don’t have friends to talk to, you’re going to go crazy," said Paulino, who with husband Manuel is expecting their first child in about two weeks.

The workshop at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan’s Dragon Hill Lodge was led by Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer, authors of "Help! I’m a Military Spouse — I Get a Life Too! How to Craft a Life for YOU as You Move With The Military."

The four-hour event was part "Oprah," part pep talk and part aerobics class, as Hightower and Scherer shared practical and philosophical advice on how the wives in the audience can best support their husbands while making their own lives more complete.

"We face some pretty demanding things," Hightower said.

"You don’t need to do this by yourself," Scherer added.

Aside from seeking support from friends, the authors said keys to happiness for military spouses include recognizing things for which you are grateful, including time every day to experience the "simple joys," and setting and pursuing personal goals.

The authors said another key to a happy military marriage is to be positive, rather than a frequent complainer.

"Build on the strengths; don’t magnify the weaknesses," Scherer said.

Audience members were told to write something on an index card and put it on their mirrors when they got home: "What would it be like to be married to me?"

The suggestion prompted laughter from the audience.

Scherer and Hightower also had a number of suggestions on how wives can make the best of their husbands’ deployments.

One idea is not to rely entirely on e-mail and phone calls to communicate, but to send cards and gifts.

"Having something that is physical — not just e-mail — is important," Hightower said.

Another suggestion is for both spouses to keep a journal while they are apart, and then share them with each other when they reunite "to get a sense of what you’re both dealing with," she said.

Thursday’s workshop was sponsored by the 2nd Infantry Division, whose commanding general, Maj. John W. Morgan III, greeted the spouses with a pep talk of his own.

He urged them to not only support their husbands but also to find a balance of "how to make a life for yourself and your family."

Military spouse Amanda Sawatka said the workshop was helpful for a variety of reasons.

"There’s been some really good ideas that have been given that I had never thought of and that I am definitely going to try," she said. "I was in the military before, and it is a very different world being on the dependent side versus being a soldier. But I kind of knew what I was getting into, and if you expect the worst and hope for the best, generally you aren’t disappointed."