Foster Youth Holiday Care Package
IL Youth! Christmas is right around the corner. Our team realizes the holiday season may not be the most exciting time of year for you! We hope that these tips will help you work through the holiday season and maybe even give yourself a chance to enjoy it!
- Give yourself permission to stay well - during moments of sadness and negative emotions, allow yourself to feel what you are feeling. Be extra kind and gentle on yourself, and if you can, apply a healthy dose of self-compassion - talk to yourself like you would your own best friend. It’s not about changing that way you think, but redirecting negative thinking into new ways through mindful practices.
- Do not isolate yourself - Gather with other ILP youth or friends and have a Friendsgiving!
- Put yourself at the top of your to-do list - The expression ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ means to avoid feeling burnout, you also need to replenish. Try activities like taking a walk or having quiet time. This allows you to ‘fill up your cup’ and replenish your energy.
- Reframe the holiday - "Stress comes from wanting the moment to be different than it is." Use this time as a clean canvas to do things differently, like starting a new tradition or finding meaningful ways to connect with those around you in safe and memorable ways. It doesn’t have to big, since the smallest of things can have a significant impact. "By allowing things to be as they are, as challenging as it is to accept change, it opens up the possibility of seeing things in new ways."
- Harvest Gratitude - Finding things to be grateful for doesn’t have to be complicated. Look for beauty, awe and wonder at the things around you. Gratitude helps turn what we have in the moment into enough, rather than stressing over what we don’t have.
- Consider Giving Back - When we give back and are generous, it fuels our happiness and well-being. It stimulates our brain the same way other positive activities do and helps us build lasting happiness. Ways you can give back: donate to food bank or charity, spending quality time with a loved one, sharing an act of kindness, expressing thanks.
- Take quiet time and rest - These are exhausting times; change and transition need a tremendous amount of rest. Think about what you need and what helps you through exhausting times.
- Build on your strengths - Each person has a set of strengths that make up who we are. Leaning on our strengths as human beings during difficult times can help build our resilience and help us realize how beautiful we are.
Below are some links to help you feel understood and appreciated during these times!
Happy Holidays from the Children's Aid Society IL Team!
