Fostering children is rewarding, time-consuming, and overwhelming at times. It requires sacrifice, patience, nurturing, and love to bring in a child into your life who is in the process of healing from neglect, abuse, and trauma.

A foster parent’s schedule can become dramatically full when a child is placed in their home. Between health and safety home visits, court hearings, case meetings, medical appointments, therapy sessions, child’s visit with biological parents, and other services there is little time during the day for much more.

Often as foster parents put in their energy and time into helping children feel safe and cared for in their home and advocating for their needs, they end up neglecting their own needs.

In order to care, love, and nurture children well, foster parents must also take care of themselves.

We value the health and capacity of our foster parents as they selflessly give so much of themselves daily, out of deep love and compassion for helping others. We believe that as you give and invest your time and effort into others, you should also take time to get rest and practice self-care on a regular basis.

Below are some tips of ways you can take care of yourself physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.  Some of these require a longer length of time and some of them can be done in five minutes. We encourage you to give yourself time and space to do these as frequently as possible. Even taking five minutes to do one of these can make a difference in you overall health and lowering your stress.

We want the best for both our foster children and our foster parents and the best for everyone is a healthy, rested, and well-taken care of you.

As a foster parent you care for others needs so well. Please make time to care well for yourself also.

PHYSICAL

• Take a nature walk outside
• Enjoy a quick power nap
• Do some deep breathing for a few minutes
• Exercise

PSYCHOLOGICAL

• Read a good book
• Unplug from technology for a few hours
• Spend some time in solitude
• Enjoy positive entertainment- like a good movie or a comedy show
• Pamper yourself

EMOTIONAL

• Journal
• Help someone in need
• Allow yourself to cry
• Spend time with your pet
• Do something that makes you laugh

SPIRITUAL

• Pray
• Meditate
• Read the Bible, devotional, or good book
• Attend a conference, such as REFRESH Conference

SOCIAL

• Spend time with a loved one
• Participate in a community gathering
• Attend or host a fun event
• Call up an old friend

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-Matthew 11:28-30