Mental Health Check-in

The impact of COVID-19 continues to present new challenges for foster children and families experiencing the child welfare system. For children who have endured trauma, building and maintaining a structured environment they can count on is hard fought work by foster parents. The pandemic has resurfaced or exacerbated feelings of powerlessness and uncertainty with foster children already in an unfathomable situation. Now that we are several months into navigating a world turned upside down, take a moment to use the questions below to check in with yourself and the foster or adoptive family you support  to encourage good mental, spiritual and emotional health. 
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What am I grateful for? The practice of gratitude is a powerful tool in finding joy even in the most difficult circumstances. Take a few minutes at the beginning of every day to list three things you are thankful for. This practice postures you to start the day with a glad heart.

What can I be praying for? There is certainly no shortage of prayer requests during this time. Send a text or make a call to those closest to you and simply ask, how can I be praying for you? Tell them how they can be praying for you too. Spend some quiet time with God sharing your heart and fears with Him. If the Project 1.27 team can come alongside you in prayer, please submit requests to [email protected]

What peace am I finding in God’s word? Arm yourself with scripture to help combat the powerful and overwhelming feelings and experiences of the pandemic. Take a moment to reflect on a verse for the day and commit it to memory. Write it down on a notecard and place it in line of sight so you can be reminded of it throughout the day. Here is one to get you started: Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Who can I connect with or serve? Pick one person a day to check in on and a method to do so. Send a text, initiate a FaceTime call, or pop in on a neighbor to see how they are doing.  Thank an essential worker, brighten the day of an isolated individual with a card or flower, or complete an errand for a vulnerable person. Send a small gift card for coffee to a friend who needs a caffeine boost and a reason to smile. What better time to show kindness in a fractured world and model to our children how to show up for the needs of others.  

How am I showing myself and others grace? It is impossible to single handedly fulfill every single role in your life and that of your children that you once had a village to help you sustain. Now is not the time to prove you can do it all, but to give yourself grace. Pick the things that are most important to you in this season and focus your valuable time and attention on what you can control about those things. For the rest, give yourself an abundant amount of grace.
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How am I taking care of my body? The physical toll of stress can be significant and choosing an activity to nurture your body can help you feel grounded and relieve the impact of stress on your body. Take a walk or jog around your neighborhood, tend to a garden, make a colorful nutritious smoothie, spend some time in deep breath with your eyes closed, or spend 15 minutes in a quick yoga routine.