Navigating Uncertainty: When Foster Care Feels Overwhelming

If you’re part of the foster care community, you know how uncertainty can creep into every aspect of daily life. There are days when everything seems up in the air—where will we be next month? Who can we count on? Will things ever feel stable or “normal” again? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when it feels like the ground is constantly shifting beneath us.

Whether we’re foster parents, advocates, or youth in the system ourselves, these unknowns can cause real stress. Sometimes, it feels like we’re carrying the weight of worry for the whole family. Many of us lie awake at night replaying conversations with social workers or wondering how to help the kids in our lives feel safe and cared for when so much is out of our control.

If you’re experiencing this kind of emotional fatigue, you’re not alone. Lots of us in the foster care world have sat with these same worries. It’s okay—more than okay—to feel anxious, frustrated, or straight-up exhausted. It isn’t a sign of weakness, just proof that you care deeply about the well-being of others.

On those especially hard days, it can help just to pause and take a breath. Reach out to your network, even if it’s just one other person who “gets it.” Sharing your experience out loud (or even writing it down for yourself) can lift a bit of the burden off your shoulders. We might not be able to solve every challenge overnight, but together, we can navigate the unpredictable waters of foster care—one step at a time.