Summer is officially in full swing! The warmer and longer days lend themselves to experiencing more activities and time with one another. For youth specifically, summer serves as a time of transition, allowing them to step out of their usual routines and try new things.
Although most families look forward to the long days and more relaxed feel of the season, the lack of structure, physical and mental activities available, and the absence of children’s usual social (school) community can have an adverse effect on a child’s mental health. With a little bit of support, you can help strengthen their coping and regulation skills to have a more positive summer season.
Build Structure: Children crave the safety and security of what to expect each day. Even though school is out and there is no rigorous schedule, having a daily and weekly schedule allows children to have something to anticipate, helps them manage their time with other responsibilities, and creates consistency.
Get Active & Get Outdoors: Outdoor play provides so many opportunities for children. The most obvious is physical activity: swimming, playgrounds, hiking, biking, etc. Children can also tap into their creativity in the outdoors. They build curiosity through exploration, and activities like climbing trees can promote self-esteem and confidence.
Socialize: During the summer break, youth may feel lonelier with less opportunities to socialize. Plan times to meet up with friends or family. Let older children and teens talk to their friends on the phone or see if there are any camps in your area to keep children active with friends and kids their age.
Sleep and Relax: Unscheduled time and sleep are important. Build in downtime in your day or week. Keep the usual daily sleep schedule with children to allow consistency and mood regulation.
Preserving routines, planning activities, and being physically active not only help support mental health, but it also keeps the dynamic consistent, safe, and most of all, fun.
Mind Springs Foundation has a new Monthly Giving Program called Minds in Action. We are focusing on scheduled monthly donations to facilitate a “piece” of mind for all individuals that require additional support to complete their picture.
Help us put the pieces together and join in our mission to rebuild lives and inspire hope by providing exceptional mental health and addiction recovery care. Your support might be the final “piece” that helps a patient finally find the right treatment or therapy needed to get better.
Did you know that Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital serves 12 rural locations in 10 counties? Starting soon, we will have a special edition of our Mind Springs in Motion newsletter geared toward our rural communities.
Mind Springs Health Mobile Crisis team will have a booth at the Mesa County Fair, July 13-15 to distribute gun safes and gun locks as part of safe gun storage outreach to prevent gun violence and suicide deaths in the area.
Our 24/7 crisis teams respond to individuals in our service areas who are experiencing a mental health emergency, including self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal ideation. Our responders are trained to conduct in-depth risk assessments, provide referrals for treatment and resources, and assist with transport for patients needing immediate mental health care.
We are grateful to be a part of the first cohort of grantees with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), which was established to coordinate and promote effective strategies to reduce gun violence in our state.
