This has come from a Hyndburn Council circular.
- Create a daily routine:
Find yourself spending all day in your pyjamas or remembering at 3pm that you haven’t brushed your teeth because you knew you wouldn’t be seeing anyone?
Life is changing for a while and whether you are staying at home or social distancing, you are likely to see some disruption to your normal routine. Think about how you can adapt and create positive new routines and set yourself goals.
You might find it helpful to write a plan for your day or your week. If you are working from home, try to get up and get ready in the same way as normal, keep to the same hours you would normally work and stick to the same sleeping schedule.
You could set a new time for a daily home workout (9am PE with Joe), and pick a regular time to clean, read, watch a TV programme or film, or join a home choir project with Gareth Malone.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23GreatBritishHomeChorus
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
- Look after your body / physical wellbeing:
Our physical health really affects how we feel. Try to make sure you and your family eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water and exercise regularly.
Get outside for a walk or a run if you can, or try one of our follow-along home-workout videos.
The Body Coach TV (Joe Wicks – P.E. with Joe every day at 9am) –
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
NHS Ten minute work out –
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/move-more/home-workout-videos/
Food and mood –
- Look after your sleep:
Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how we feel, so it’s important to get enough.
Try to maintain your regular sleeping pattern and stick to good sleep practices.
Sleep tips – https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
- Stay Connected:
Just because you’re self-isolating, doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off altogether. If you feel that you’re beginning to struggle, take some time to call a friend or family member. Talk about how you’re feeling. If you don’t have anyone you can speak to you can call emotional support lines like the Samaritans and SANEline.
Maintaining relationships with people you trust is important for your mental wellbeing. Think about how you can stay in touch with friends and family via telephone, video calls or social media instead of meeting in person – whether it’s people you normally see often or connecting with old friends.
- Learn a language:
Challenge yourself to learn a new language in just a few weeks, ready for your next trip away. With a ton of apps and websites that give you lessons for free, you’ve truly run out of excuses not to.
- Limit your news intake:
If you are finding the constant 24/7 coverage of coronavirus is impacting your mental health, particularly on social media, then you can opt out. The World Health Organisation says: “A near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel anxious or distressed.”
If it is affecting you, try to limit the time you spend watching, reading, or listening to media coverage of the outbreak. It may help to only check the news at set times or limiting to a couple of checks a day. Gather high-quality information that will help you to accurately determine your own or other people’s risk of contracting coronavirus (COVID-19) so that you can take reasonable precautions. Find a credible source you can trust such as GOV.UK, or the NHS website, and fact check information that you get from newsfeeds, social media or from other people.
- Do things you enjoy:
When you are anxious, lonely or low you may do things that you usually enjoy less often, or not at all. Focussing on your favourite hobby, learning something new or simply taking time to relax indoors should give you some relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can boost your mood.
If you can’t do the things you normally enjoy because you are staying at home, try to think about how you could adapt them, or try something new. There are lots of free tutorials and courses online and people are coming up with innovative online solutions like online pub quizzes and streamed live music concerts.
- Keep your mind active:
Read, write, play games, do crossword puzzles, sudokus, jigsaws or drawing and painting. Find something that works for you.
- Take time to relax and focus on the present:
This can help with difficult emotions, worries about the future, and can improve wellbeing. Relaxation techniques can also help some people to deal with feelings of anxiety. For useful resources see Every Mind Matters and NHS’ mindfulness page.
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
- Engage in therapeutic activities:
This is down to one’s own preference on what’s therapeutic to them. Things such as cleaning, painting, drawing, colouring, listening to music, singing and even stretching are considered therapeutic activities.
It just depends on which works for you.