Eluna’s Expert Voices – Importance of Self Care

Are you supporting a child or teen affected by the substance misuse of an adult in their life? This video is for you. Our Camp Mariposa Experts wear many hats and have hearts the size of the moon, which draws them to this important work. Being on the frontlines with our campers, year-round, provides them with a unique perspective into the importance of the 7C of I Can Take CARE of Myself. Take it from the pros, you and your self-care matters:

You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup:

“Connecting to others, connecting to yourself, connecting to your community. Whether it’s volunteering, being around my friends, or taking a self-care mental health day. I need to be pouring into one of those cups to make sure that I’m taking care of myself.” – Emily, Mentor

Camp Mariposa is Self-Care:

“Many families who have children who have experienced another adult in their life with a substance use disorder have a lot of appointments. It’s very busy. Sometimes after those appointments things can be hard and there are hard things to talk about. There is a lot of processing and there can even be behavior issues. The idea of Camp Mariposa’s format being over a long weekend is really beneficial – both to my kids getting a break from our family and me getting a break.” – Kelly, Mother

Vent to Somebody Who is Walking Your Journey

“I have some other foster family friends, moms. If I’m having a rough day, I don’t just vent to anybody. I make sure I’m venting to somebody whose walking this journey too, because not everyone understands it. This goes along with Camp Mariposa. Our kids need to go to camp and vent with kids that understand having relatives and parents with addiction. You can’t just go to school and vent or talk about that with a kid that has no idea what that world is like.” – Tiffany, Foster Mother

Set a Hard Stop Point

“I’ve set a hard stop point for my work and my school. When the clock hits this at this time, I set everything aside. It’s time for me to relax, spend time with my friends, my family and decompress for the day. For me setting boundaries, making sure that I have dedicated time for doing the things I love.” – Matt, Mentor.

Recharge – Your Way

“Sunday at 3 o’ clock being able to say ‘wow, that was a busy weekend. What am I going to do to recharge?’ If you are an introvert going home and watching Netflix and laying on the couch not doing anything. Or it’s going and getting together with some friends for dinner and being not in charge of a bunch of little kids and have a dinner. Being able to decompress and acknowledge that those feelings are difficult and having somebody to talk to.” – Leah, Lead Clinician

Find Small Ways to Have Treats

“Something I always tell the kids that it’s okay to find small ways to have treats for yourself. On Saturday mornings, I go to a local coffee shop by myself. During the week I drink black coffee, so this is my sugary coffee allowance.” – Kristina, Clinical Director & Mentor

Do the Simple Things

“I like to do the simple things. I brush my hair regularly because I know if I don’t it will be a hot mess. I try to do facemasks every now and then to feel better about myself because when I look good I feel good. When the campers are there, I don’t mind braiding their hair when they ask. When you look good you tend to feel better. The least I can do is braid somebody’s hair.” – Ivy, Mentor

Quiet Your Mind

“In early recovery, that was something that they stressed upon is working on prayer and meditation in conjunction together to quiet our minds. I have a tendency to let that hamster wheel go. At the end of the day or during the day, just give me two minutes alone – in a bathroom or whatever it is – just to separate. So for me it’s a lot of breathing exercises.” – Steve, Mentor

Bite-Size Socializing

“As a single mom, I get lonely sometimes. I also don’t do super well in really busy places. So, if I can meet one person for coffee and look forward to that, that’s good for me.” – Rebekah, Mother

Remembering Your Why

“As a mentor, making sure I’m in the right headspace. Remembering my why, as to why I became interested in the camp and what drives me to be there.” – Ali, Mentor

No One is Going to be Responsible for Your Health Except You

“It’s important to take of yourself because at the end of the day, no one is going to be responsible for your health except you.” – Yasin, Mentor

For more self-care tips, we recommend taking a look at Care for the Caregiver.

Click here to see a full list of Expert Voices videos!