A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality of support. Kate Middleton
Meditation: This weekend is homecoming weekend. Exciting and very stressful. My girls feel overwhelmed, exhausted and confused, as this is their first time. Last night, after I let them share their feelings of imbalance and stress, I wondered how to support their “mental health” in these days. (I suggest to playfully rename mental health as “M-EART health” = “mind and heart health” as the term “mental” is usually used equivalent with “illness” or even worse with “insanity”). The heart on the other hand symbolizes all of our emotions. Heart and mind are normal parts of all of us. And our hearts and minds can become stressed easily. Stress will take a toll on our hearts and minds and eventually make us sick, if we don’t provide preventative care. I have learned that one of the best mental health support for myself and for teenagers is sleep. And because teenage High schooler (who always go to bed later than they should) get up at 5:45am, they do not get enough sleep for sure. As I assessed my girls’ “m-eart health” in the evening, I decided to let them sleep in, two hours longer than usual. I have never done this. But I knew to cope with all the stressors coming their way, sleep – besides expressing their emotions- would be the best foundation no matter what would come at them. Letting their brain rest, while me remaining available for concrete support would give them sufficient strength to make it through the weekend. On the letter of excuse of arriving in school late I listed “health related reasons”. I did not want to say “mental health related reasons”, as that would raise red flags… It is sad that our society has not accepted our mental health, our “m-eart health”, to deserve just the same care as our bodies do.
Prayer: God, you deeply care about our body, mind and emotions. You want our hearts and minds to be at peace. Our society focuses on caring for our bodies. However, it is often ignoring and dismissing the health of our mind and of our emotions. Help us teach the next generation that the health of our emotions and our minds are just as important as our bodies. You want our whole personhood to receive daily care. You want us to receive abundant support and peace that surpasses what the world gives us. And we are grateful. Amen
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
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