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Mental Wellness Month

January is Mental Wellness Month, a month dedicated to promoting the importance of mental health. All aspects of life revolve around the overall mental wellness of each individual. Mental health has an impact on how a person acts, thinks, and feels. It is important to take steps towards improving our mental wellness every day.

Incorporating one or two of the following suggestions into your everyday routine will help to better your family's overall mental wellness.

Express Gratitude - Focus on the people and things that bring light into your day
Practice Self-care - Do something that’s good for your mind and body like taking a hot bath or going for a walk
Intentionally Reduce Stress - Take a break from people or things that make you feel anxious

Read more about Mental Wellness Month here.

Children’s 5 Excused Mental Health Days

Beginning this month Illinois schools are to allow students to take up to five excused mental health days per year. Students will not need to provide a doctor’s note in order to be excused and will be allowed to make up the work they miss. After the second mental health day request, the school will reach out to the student’s family and will refer the student to get professional help.

Having the option to take a mental health day will be a breath of fresh air for children who may need an extra day to reset. However, it’s important to take action if you notice that an extra day to recharge is not enough. If you notice any of the following signs and symptoms in your child, reach out to your child’s doctor for help.

Persistent sadness lasting two weeks or more
Withdrawal from social interactions
Self-harm
Discussions about death or suicide
Drastic changes in mood, personality, eating, and sleeping behaviors
Frequent headaches or stomach aches
Sudden changes in academic performance

Read more about the five excused mental health days for children here.

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Children and Youth

As Covid-19 continues to spread, children and youth carry on with the challenges it creates. Social distancing, changes to their routines, and a lost sense of security and safety are all examples of issues children and youth have had to manage through the pandemic. These challenges have made children and youth especially vulnerable to feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed.

The National Academic Press has published a variety of videos to help support children and youth struggling with their wellbeing. The topics addressed are listed below. They are also available in a pdf format, along with other coping mechanisms. Follow this link for more information.

Videos for Younger Children and Their Parents

Videos for Youth and Teens

Join us on January 24, 2022, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM for a fun activity to help with stress reduction for caregivers of Kankakee County children receiving mental health services. This is an opportunity to meet other caregivers and provide support to each other. Classes are led by Cyndi Brown, a grandparent raising her grandchild and caring for her elderly father.

This month, we will be making cowl scarves. No prior knitting experience is needed to make these warm and comfy scarves. It's the perfect craft for this cold winter. They are very easy to make and just take a couple of hours, 2 skeins of loop yarn, and your fingers. Materials will be provided.

Fee: $10

Prior registration is required by noon on Monday, January 24, 2022.

If assistance is needed with childcare expenses, please note that on the registration form.

UPCOMING TRAINING

Join our team of locally certified System of Care Community Navigators by attending an upcoming training! This program helps participants learn more about Project SUN and how to assist families in identifying community resources to meet their needs. Training plans for 2022 are being developed. Look for big changes to make this training more accessible to you.

If you would like to be informed about upcoming trainings, email louisiana@cfkrv.org.

Project SUN monthly newsletters are intended to inform family members and those working with families. You are all valuable members of the Strong and Unified Network (SUN) being built to support the children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health system of care in Kankakee County. You are encouraged to invite others to become involved in these efforts to help children flourish. Please share this newsletter with those who may find this information useful. Suggest they visit projectsunkankakee.org and sign-up to receive their own copy and become a member of the Network.