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.

Anxiety - Isaiah 41:10

I want to take some time to journey through God's Word to see what He says about managing ANXIETY in our lives.  Years ago, the word "anxious" had a more positive meaning; it was used to refer to things that we cared about or that we desired to see happen.  Somehow, in recent years it has lost that positive usage and we typically think of the anxiety in our lives as negative and associated with fear, worry, isolation and depression.

Let's begin with a verse in Isaiah 41:10

While the actual word - "anxious" does not appear in this verse, isn't that what we are experiencing when we feel fear and dismay?

This is a great verse to memorize so you always have it with you when anxiety presses in on you.

Isaiah was a man God called to be a prophet - someone who had the job of receiving messages from God and then communicating that message to the people that needed to hear it.  Much of his life, the message that he had to deliver was not one you would want to receive.  He was tasked with warning people that God was righteous and holy and He wanted His people to repent and turn from their sin and be restored to Him.  He warns of the coming days of judgement for those who do not.  Hearing Isaiah's message of judgement should have brought a great deal of anxiety to the people.  But here in this chapter, God reminds the people that when they listen and obey, He always rescues them.  In verse 9 He gives them the reason they should not be afraid:  He says, "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." 

When we rely on our own strength and abilities to get us through challenging times, we have every reason to be anxious.  Deep down, we know we have limits, we know we have weaknesses, we know we can't make it through everything we will face.  God reminds us that our limits are not His - just because we may be at the end of our rope or feel trapped in a corner does not mean He is!  If we will acknowledge our limitations and failings and be restored to Him through repentance and forgiveness, He will be with us, He will be our God, He will strengthen and help us. 

Prayer:  "Father, I confess that toe unknown of this virus makes me feel out of control and fearful.  I confess that I forget how great a God You are and I try to rely on my own wisdom and strength.  Please forgive me for my fear and my lack of trust in Your wisdom and control.  Help me to recognize Your presence with me.  Help me understand how safe I am with You as my God.  Strengthen me to be able to face the challenges and changes that may come with grace and acceptance.  And in times when I feel overwhelmed, remind me that You hold me in the palm of Your hand."  Amen.

Song - There Was Jesus - Zach Williams and Dolly Parton

Sometimes, when life gets hard or things seem upside down, it can be hard to remember that Jesus is with us.  This song might be just the reminder you need today.

There Was Jesus

Day 34 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Our Boys Town Press publishes popular, award-winning storybooks written by experts – educators, counselors and parents – who provide realistic scenarios and social skills teaching, all wrapped in an entertaining story that children enjoy! Currently, the Boys Town Press has extended their schedule for free “Story Time” events where authors read their stories to kids and parents online. For a full list of upcoming authors, books and story times, click on the image below. All the story events come with free activities and downloads! The books and stories read by the authors are not only wonderfully entertaining but they also help teach kids skills they can use to better cope during this crisis. Also, Boys Town Press is posting past story event videos and other content to their Facebook page.

Boys Town Press wants to give you a discount! To help you and your kids better cope during the crisis, we want to give you a great deal from our Boys Town Press (Spend $25 and get 25% off with coupon code 25FOR25). Boys Town Press produces high-quality, award-winning books, DVDs, activities and activity guides, and other helpful resources for parents, educators, counselors and other youth-serving professionals. Our resources give practical, real-world skills you can use to better manage behavior, build strong relationships, and teach social skills to children. Enjoy your discount and pick out some books and other products that can help improve your child’s (and your) mental health!

Day 33 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

A little more kindness can go a long way in making your home life a better place, especially now. But turn on the news or scroll through Facebook and suddenly it feels difficult to find much to be happy or kind about. Much of what we read and see about the virus and economic uncertainty is beyond our control, but we do have control over ourselves and how we choose to act every day. One way to be kinder is to be more intentional about it. We encourage you to follow our seven-day kindness challenge and see how it can have a positive impact on your life and those around you! Include some more kindness in your daily routine by downloading our free kindness challenge.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Remember to take care of yourself today! Hectic schedules can drain your energy and keep you so busy that you often forget to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. Today’s mental health tip is to take a moment to stop and think about what you need to do to enable yourself to perform at your very best. Download this free worksheet to review what self-care looks like and what can you do to enhance it. Regular self-care can improve your well-being and self-esteem. It also increases the resiliency that you need to deal with the challenges we all face today.

Day 31 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Having a daily plan and routine is more important now than ever. It helps you better navigate your kid’s schoolwork, work duties many of us are doing from our kitchen tables and makeshift home offices, the need to make sure the refrigerator is stocked, the constant pull of staying informed about virus updates and the ever-changing economic realities…and much more. This is a lot for parents to do! And all of this takes up so much of your time and mental bandwidth that it’s easy to forget about self-care. But, taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do every day, and scheduling it into your daily routine is a great way to ensure it happens. Download the following free daily planner to make sure you are including some very important self-care “to-dos” into your daily routine.

Positive Mental Health Tip: Weekend planning Our weekends are much different than they used to be. Our preferred activities like going to the gym, eating at our favorite restaurant, shopping, catching a movie and so many others are not options right now. This can cause parents and children to get down about the coming weekend. To combat this, encourage everyone to start planning their weekends so they can continue to do their part to beat the virus by social distancing while also planning ways to have fun. Developing a plan can brighten your mood and help you look forward to the weekend. So, urge your family to start their Social Distancing Daily Planner schedule for the weekend. We can all continue to contribute to the solution and have a fun, enjoyable weekend if we take some time to plan for both.

Walk By Faith

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7

In our devotions this morning, my husband and I were reading about Abraham's walk of faith to a mountaintop.  If you are not familiar with this epic moment in Abraham's life, you can read about it in Genesis 22.  Perhaps in this time of "new norms" and lifestyle adjustments, we could all benefit from re-reading the life of Abraham and his wife, Sarah.  God called them to a lifestyle of change and faith.

The devotional challenged us to think about how unusual circumstances and confusing messages often cause us to question the character of God.  We tend to define Him by the lens we are looking through.  But one of the most reassuring characteristics of God is that He is unchanging.  His character and qualities never change - He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  This should give us reassurance and allow us to trust Him.  Yet often, in times of difficulty or uncertainty, we forget this eternal quality of God.  We question Him and His care for us.

Today, as you face another day with aspects of your life made different, or difficult, by the COVID-19 virus and the way it has impacts nearly every facet of our lives, remember that God remains unchanged.  You can be confident that He knows what He is doing, that He remains ready to forgive us if we need to confess things, ready to love us if we will accept His offer of salvation, and ready to walk with us through the dark time and the shadowed uncertainties of our life here on this earth.

Step out in faith - faith in the God who never changes.  Step out in faith - faith in the relationship He offers through His Son, Jesus.  Step out in faith - faith that if we seek Him, He will be found.

Day 30 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Today, family members are being asked to remain in the same place ALL THE TIME with each other. With most of the usual outlets that parents and kids enjoy unavailable to them, there is bound to be tension, conflict and situations when tempers escalate, boil over and blow. When this happens, it can be hard for you to respond with a calm, cool head. But an important component to effective parenting involves modeling calmness and responding in ways that teach kids what it looks like to remain in control during difficult times. A good way to do this is to proactively develop an action plan about how to deal with those times when kids blow their tops. To help with that, here is a self-calming plan that allows you to work through the steps to keeping things cool in your home.

Keeping a hopeful outlook  It has been a long few weeks since the crisis began. Now that many of us have been stuck at home for a while, it can feel like the hours and days crawl along at a glacial pace. This can cause people to get down and lose hope that the current situation will eventually pass and life will get better. When you feel like this, it’s a signal to do something to lift your spirits. Here are 20 practical questions to ask yourself that can help you avoid going down the road of despair and instead regain an optimistic and hopeful outlook.

Day 29 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

Praise is one of the most powerful teaching tools you can use with your children. Praise works like a compass, an instrument that helps us determine where we are going while also giving us confidence that we are heading in the right direction. Praise works in much the same way. Regular use of praise allows parents to teach children important lessons, including: they are making good choices they are on the right path when they are struggling or seem lost, praise can help you get them back on track If praise is so powerful, why don’t parents use it as much and often as they should? There are several reasons. One is it’s just human nature to focus on when things go wrong instead of when they go right. The cup of milk spilled on the kitchen floor when poured by a younger child requires us to step away from what we are doing to wipe up the mess; however, that same cup of milk the younger child pours without spilling doesn’t require our attention nearly as much and usually goes unnoticed. Another reason we may not use praise enough is because we don’t recognize appropriate, expected behaviors as anything special. If we’ve already told our kids what behaviors we like, why should we have to keep telling them? The answer is because you want them to keep doing them and praise reinforces good behavior so you see again and again. And at a time like today, it’s more important than ever to focus on the positives and catch kids being good each and every day. Request a free 10 Ways to Praise Magnet to help you remember!

Getting perspective for some peace of mind Your positive mental health activity for today is to put the focus on others. Take time today to call up a grandparent or other relative and interview them about their life. Ask questions like: What challenges have they faced throughout their lives? What other times did they feel afraid? What did they do to cope with the fear? What events, experiences, and people did they lean on during uncertain times? Not only will sharing their experiences help them but it will also give you a better understanding of the challenges they have faced and survived. And this can bring you a much-needed perspective and peace of mind that this too shall pass and all will be well again.

Day 28 - Boys Town - Daily Dose of Digital Support

It isn't easy being a kid right now. Time spent at school, in extra-curricular activities and with friends all help children and teens feel good about themselves. With these aspects of their lives now on hold and limited to online interactions, many kids aren’t getting the kind of nourishment they need and this can lead to lower feelings of self-worth. That’s why now is a great time to help your children by having them do an activity that highlights the qualities and strengths ​they have and can be proud of. This activity will give them a better understanding of their gifts and help them feel better about themselves.

Dealing with stress...Stress is understandably high right now. That’s why today’s mental health tip focuses on helping you get a better understanding of the stress in your life and how you handle it. Knowing your stressors and reactions allows you to adjust and deal with stress in healthier and more effective ways. We've got a free stress test you can download that will help you learn more about how you handle stress. Once you complete the test, take a few minutes to reflect and journal how you can better cope with and respond to stress in the days and weeks to come.