Bible Promises - Introduction

 Hello ladies!  It has been quite a while since we have posted anything on this blog.  I apologize for that.  The pandemic and the subsequent isolation seemed to put me in a place where I lost my sense of how to help people.  But recently I came across a little book that seemed worth sharing.  It is titled "The Bible Promise Book for Women - Prayer Edition" and it cover 61 important issues in life.  With all that is going on in our world, in our lives, and perhaps in our hearts, I suspect that most of us are looking for some answers.

God, out of His abundant love for us, has provided those answers in the pages of His Love Letter to us...what we commonly call the Bible.  If we could gather together I would love to do a Bible Study on this little book, but since that is not currently possible, maybe together we can share in the encouragement and enlightenment this little study tool provides.  Maybe you have a Bible lying around and just never knew where to look in it for the answers to the questions or struggles you are having.  It is my hope that this series will help you feel more familiar with What your Heavenly Father is trying to share with you.  Draw near to Him, ask Him your questions, and then look into His Word for the answers He is ready to provide.

As we look into these various issues together, please comment or ask additional questions.  I will be here in whatever way I can to walk beside you.

Day 43 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

For most of us, joy has been hard to come by. Weeks of sheltering at home, stressing about work and school, avoiding crowds, and losing the simple things that bring excitement and vitality to our neighborhoods and communities has created a happiness vacuum. So how can you bring a little joy back into your home? Research shows that the Chinese proverb above was more than accurate. Giving to others can make you happier and healthier!   There are countless ways to give back during this difficult time. Here are just a few suggestions that you can do as a family…    Drop-off donations at a local food bank. Write letters of gratitude to people who have been instrumental in your family’s life. Donate blood or plasma. Shop for neighbors or the elderly. Surprise someone with a letter of encouragement. Send congratulatory messages to graduating seniors. At Boys Town, the last two suggestions have special significance. Many of our youth are doing okay, but the demands of the crisis are getting them down. They could use a lift now, and hearing from you would give them a big boost and let them know you’re standing with them. We’ve created two easy ways to do this: Send an eCard of support to a child at the Village of Boys Town Send a message of congratulations to our Boys Town graduates You have the power to bring joy to others and in doing so, have joy come back to you! Thank you for lifting our kids’ spirits and setting an example of kindness, hope and compassion.

A little midweek mental health tip… Imagine yourself stepping into the warm waves of the Caribbean, indulging in the most decadent of desserts or taking in a misty mountain sunrise. It makes you feel good doesn’t it? That’s the power of visualization. See how you can get to a happy place, calm your mind and relax your body here.

Day 42 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Definition: Sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations. It's bad enough being stuck at home and feeling isolated from friends and places that are important to you and your family, but as cancellations keep piling up, including graduations, sports, proms, concerts and vacations, the disappointment deepens and may even hurt more.     You and your kids may be sad or angry (or both) about the unfairness of it all. Guess what? That’s okay. It isn’t fair. A lot of hard work went into achieving goals, like graduation, and now the celebration seems small. Events that you’ve planned for and eagerly anticipated may not, or will not, happen.  Feeling sad, angry and disappointed is justified and, unfortunately, such feelings may hang around for a while. It may surprise you to find out that what you’re experiencing is similar to the five stages of grief: Denial - (I don't believe that this is happening to me.) Anger - (I'm so angry that this is happening to me.) Bargaining - (I'll do anything to change what is happening to me.) Depression - (I feel hopeless about what is happening to me.) Acceptance - (I can go on living the rest my life and try to deal with my disappointments.) It's understandable if you feel selfish, or even a little shame, for thinking about how this is affecting your family when others are losing loved ones or their livelihoods to this virus. But it’s important to recognize and understand that you’re experiencing loss, too. You care about what happens in your life AND in the lives of others. It's okay to have mixed up feelings. Allow yourself to grieve the losses you’re experiencing. So, what can you do to bounce back from disappointment, relieve stress, feel better and find your optimism? Take any or all of these steps in our Positive Mental Health activity for today…  Pick yourself up. Try out some positive self-talk. Remind yourself of the good things you have going in your life. You may even find yourself being thankful that your situation isn't as bad as someone else's. Connect with friends in different ways. There are many online ways to connect in today's world. Be creative! You could even mail thank-you notes or letters to people that have been important in your life. Continue to improve yourself. Whether it is a sport, schoolwork or music, continue to practice and work hard to make yourself even better at what you are doing. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, shower, have a routine that gets you through each day. Embrace simplicity. You may begin to appreciate not having to get dressed up every day. Be mindful about being in the moment rather than worrying about what is coming next. Learn something new. Start a new hobby, learn a new language, play a new instrument. Try things that you never had time for before. Organize your life. Clean out drawers, closets and sort through everything in your bedroom. When you feel like you have no control with other things in your life right now, cleaning your space allows you to take control of something. Document your experience. Like it or not, you are living in a time that will go down in history. Keep a written or photographic diary of your self-quarantine experience. Make lists. Goals, dreams, blessings, favorite things – 88 Journal Topics has great ideas. Practice kindness. Compliment/praise/thank your family members for something each day, help around the house, support others. Give yourself a break. Turn off the TV, limit exposure to news reports. Just breathe. Get outside, open a window, breathe in fresh air.

Until tomorrow, be safe and be healthy. Remember, your mental health matters too.

Day 41 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

With school coming to a sudden end, many teens are disappointed they won’t be able end their school year with goodbyes and celebrations with teachers and classmates. And proms, extra-circular activities, sports and even graduations have all been cancelled. Because of social distancing, teens are also unable to be with their friends who they lean on for emotional support. With the disruption in their social lives and many end-of-the-year rites of passage canceled, it’s natural that many teens are upset with social distancing and tempted to test limits around this public-health strategy that is working to flatten the curve and save lives. During this time of social distancing, parents are concerned what to do if their teen leaves the house without permission. Our experts at the Boys Town Behavioral Health Clinic have some advice on what to do if your teen leaves home without permission so you can help keep your teen, your family and others as safe as possible.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Controlling Your Urges Today’s positive mental health tip involves waiting 15 minutes before reacting to someone or something to help prevent impulsive decisions you might later regret. Here is a free worksheet to download that helps you develop a plan so you are ready the next time you are faced with an urge you should avoid.

Day 40 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Today, kids are having a lot of their interactions online, whether that’s through Zoom for school or Facetime with friends. To make sure they are using good conversation skills – both online and in person – now is a good time to review those skills with your kids. Here are some practical, easy-to-use skills you can teach your child and practice together as a family: To contribute to a conversation: Look at the person who is talking. Wait for a time when no one else is talking. Make a short, appropriate comment that is related to the topic that is being discussed. Choose words that will not offend or confuse others. After you’ve spoken, give other people a chance to talk. To keep a conversation going: Maintain a relaxed but attentive posture. Nod your head to show you understand and to give ongoing encouragement to the person who is speaking. Ask follow-up questions that are related to what another person just said. Avoid fidgeting, looking away or yawning. Don’t interrupt when another person is speaking. Take turns speaking during the conversation. Check to see if others understand what you have said. To close a conversation: Change topics only when everyone appears to be finished talking about a particular issue. Change to a topic that somehow relates to the previous one. Give everyone a chance to talk about the new topic. Wait for a comfortable break in the conversation to end it.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Creating a mental health safety plan When people are frightened and uncertain, it is easy to become sad, anxious and/or depressed. That’s why creating a mental health safety plan is a great tool for maintaining your mental health.

Day 39 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

By now, you’ve likely had your fair share of disagreements and clashes with your child or among your children. Being in close quarters all the time combined with the tension created from new routines, lack of access to usual friends and activities, and health and financial uncertainties is bound to increase everyone’s stress levels. All of this causes tempers to flare more easily and often than they normally would. To help with this, here is an article by our experts at the Boys Town Behavioral Health Clinic on how you can go about best managing arguments and disputes in your home when they do arise.

Today’s Positive Mental Health Tip - What is Your Mantra? Establishing a mantra can help you cope better during difficult times. A mantra is a statement or word repeated frequently to remind yourself how you want to you live your life each day. Here is a short read to help you begin developing a manta that works best for you.

Day 38 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

It’s been weeks now that parents and kids have been at home together, and it’s likely things have grown a bit stale and tense. That’s why now is a good time for a booster shot on some parenting skills and tips for how to keep things moving in a positive, upbeat direction in your home. Watch this video conversation with Bridget Barnes, Boys Town Common Sense Parenting® Director and parenting expert, who provides valuable insights and easy-to-use suggestions about how to talk to your kids so they listen better, keep conversations positive and more. Also, we talk about our favorite parts of staying home with our families. And we’d love to hear about what you’ve enjoyed about having your family together too! Visit our Parenting Facebook page share your positive experiences; not only does this help you to focus on the positive but it’s also fun and valuable for other parents to hear.     ALSO, we invite you to join our Common Sense Parenting group on social media to keep The Daily Dose conversations flowing now and into the future.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Know your values When crises happen, it’s a natural time for people to reflect on their lives and the things they really value. You might be asking yourself questions like: What do I believe in? What do I feel is important in my life? How do ​I discover what is worth taking a risk for? What is my personal life mission? We know these are weighty questions and you might not have all the answers right now. This free download can help you think about and decide on the principles you want to use to live your life.

Day 37 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

With the daily influx of new information about the crisis, it’s important to curate what you watch and read. While it’s necessary to stay informed, you don’t want to spend so much time consuming news and other media content that you get overloaded and grow fearful and hopeless. That’s why we all need to take time to seek out the good, inspiring things that are happening during this time. When you watch or read about positive and uplifting people and events, your overall outlook will change for the better. And there is LOTS of good news out there! Many media outlets are focusing on celebrating coming together with events like Disney sing-a-longs, free streaming concerts and even online shows centered around good news. The key is for you to be intentional about looking for these things and continuing to seek them out. To get you started, here’s a story about Josh, a Boys Town youth, who is getting ready to graduate and move on to the next chapter of his life. Enjoy Josh’s amazing story and begin to fill your head and your heart with positive, uplifting content like this!

Positive Mental Health Tip: Journal with Boys Town's free app! Journaling is a proven, effective way to improve your mental health. Check out the Boys Town’s My Life My Voice journal app. This mood journal offers a simple solution for tracking your thoughts, feelings and moods in an interactive tool you can keep right on your phone. Download this free app today so you can begin to turn your mood around when you’re feeling down or stressed out!

Day 36 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

It’s no secret that teens deal with anxiety, stress and many other strong emotions. Sometimes they struggle to find healthy ways to handle all that life throws at them. All this has been exacerbated by the current crisis as kids try to make sense of and deal with a new reality. When they get overwhelmed and have no other place to turn, the Boys Town National Hotline® wants them to know there’s a safe place just a call away. That’s why we’ve partnered with Jocelyn, a BMG recording artist from Omaha, Nebraska, whose songs radiate a very similar message as Boys Town – one of positivity, self-acceptance and hope. We wanted to share one of our favorite songs, "Love Letter" with you. The purpose of the partnership is to spread Jocelyn’s message of hope and self-love as well as the Hotline’s resources through music to children and teens across the country. Boys Town is encouraging every parent to add the number for the Boys Town National Hotline® (1-800-448-3000) to their child’s phone contact list, and to download the app MyLifeMyVoice, to their child’s phone. We want kids to know they are not alone and can count on people and resources to help them through tough times.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Write yourself a love letter With all that’s going on today, ​being kind to yourself is likely something that’s not on the forefront of your mind. But, showing yourself kindness gives you the strength and resiliency you need to cope and deal with life as it is today in optimistic and healthy ways. So, what can you do to avoid getting buried in an avalanche of negative thoughts and feelings, and instead strive to accept who you are and embrace what makes you special? Download this free activity and write a love letter to yourself – one that you deserve!

Day 35 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

April is Stress Awareness Month. Fitting, right? Change is never easy and is one of the main contributors to increased stress for adults and kids. Major changes in our lives have happened overnight with routines being completely wiped out and new ones having to be developed on the fly with adaptations happening daily. With school now held at home, concerns about health and safety, worries about financial issues, the need to continue with social distancing, and many other concerns, the ability to destress and keep a positive mindset is more important than ever – for both adults and kids. Below is a free download of a collection of relaxation activities for all ages, K-adult. Regular use of these relaxation techniques provides much-needed relief for both you and your children and teaches them skills to positively deal with stress now and in the future.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Make sleep a mental health priority   Sleep is a must for good mental health. We all have those restless nights when sleep doesn’t come easy or when we wake up and can’t get back to sleep, especially now. When this happens, our mood and thinking can get frazzled and our ability to perform the following day is much more difficult. A good night’s sleep is a boon to our mental and physical health along with our ability to positively deal with whatever life throws at us. Here is a free download to help you learn more about the benefits of making sleep a mental health priority.