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May 12, 2022
Mental Health Awareness
May is mental health awareness month. Mental health is
becoming something people talk about on more of a regular basis but still has a
stigma associated with it. A key indicator for mental health struggles is
experiencing trauma. Most if not all of the families we work with have
experienced trauma and most likely complex trauma, which is trauma in many
layers. We have caregivers who have experienced trauma and children who have or
are currently experiencing trauma. While this is heartbreaking in so many ways,
there is an opportunity to make an impact today on the children we are caring
for as well as on our caregivers. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
has some great information on how complex trauma can affect us and our
children.
https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects
You are not alone and the weight of dealing with the kin child’s
trauma can seem unbearable. As humans going through hard things, we find ways
to cope, ways to survive and ways to get by. In many of those instances, those
ways of coping aren’t necessarily good for us. Learning to take care of
ourselves and teach children to have positive mental health practices can be
difficult but possible. Making time for self reflection and checking in with
emotions daily, being active such as going for a walk or riding a bike
together, and prioritizing yourself is a step in the right direction. As your
kin child sees you take care of yourself, they will start to develop those
habits as well. As a survivor of childhood trauma once shared, It’s the simple
self care habits that many people who’ve experienced trauma never develop. Such
as going to a doctor or seeing a therapist are taboo ideas. When you are
focused on surviving you don’t have time to focus on eating vegetables, walking
in the sunlight, and even deep breathing. These are the habits that will
actually help us survive. If you are struggling with taking care of you and
your mental health, please reach out to a kinship navigator and they can get
you connected to the resources available for you. Together we can make an
impact on your mental health as well as the mental health of the children you
are caring for.