Well-being advice and activities for the time off (and maybe the rest of your lives?)Hello lovely students of the Roundhill Academy. What unusual times we find ourselves in. Everyone’s lives are looking so very different to what they were just a week or so ago and it is inevitable that we are all feeling rather uncertain and probably a bit worried. That is alright. It is absolutely OK to feel negative emotions such as worried, uncertain, shocked and helpless or whatever else you might be feeling. This situation is completely out of yours – or anyone else’s control and it is very unusual. The important thing is that we try not to let these feelings overwhelm us too much and we make an effort to take some control back by doing things that will support our mental-health and well-being over the coming weeks.

It would be very easy and also very tempting to allow ourselves to go into ‘freefall.’ This basically means that we are just existing – probably sleeping a lot and maybe allowing ourselves to engage far too much in one activity, such as gaming, TV or whatever. I’m definitely not saying that you should avoid those things completely. The activities that you enjoy indeed should be a part of your daily routine. But the danger is that if we are achieving nothing at all, then our mental health and well-being is likely to be effected negatively.

It’s more important now more than ever that we are taking good care of ourselves and keeping busy. Us human beings as a species actually like routine (even though we moan about it). We like goals and structure as it keeps us mentally safe - and our achievements make us feel good. When all of that is taken away, we can start to feel insecure and a bit lost, which can lead to other issues, so it’s really important that we look after our well-being as best we can.

What follows is advice and suggestions of activities that you can do to support this. I recommend that even if you don’t do any of the others, then definitely try to do numbers 1 and 2.

I suggest that you read through this whole document carefully and highlight any of the advice or activities that stand out to you. If you can print it off – do so. If not, you can highlight it in Word. (Google how to do that if you don’t know)

1) Create your own structure

The first piece of advice that I want to give you is that you have a plan and create for yourselves a structure. Day by day or week by week for now is all we can really do as things are so uncertain.

I have one of these planners that helps with this. You could make your own and decorate it – which would be a lovely, mindful activity in itself.

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Or you could make a daily one – maybe something like this?

Monday: Activity:

9am Wake up – get up straight away, shower and have breakfast

10am – 1pm Check email and Go4Schools. Do schoolwork set by teachers.

1-2pm Break for lunch, text friends and catch up briefly

2-3pm Finish any work off/well-being activity or something else productive

3-4pm Well-being activity

4-5pm Help parents/carer with dinner prep or other chores

5-6.30pm Dinner and family time

6.30-9pm TV/social media/Games

9pm Go to bed

Obviously you would make yours to fit with your own routines and those of the people who you live with – and can be done much more creatively than the above example. Also, the example is very general and you should try and be more specific around what work is set or your choice of well-being activity (read the information in here and choose what you’re going to do each day). However, it is really important that you stick to some sort of plan and structure as this is what allows us to feel accomplished at the end of every day – and keeps us mentally well.

2) Recognise and let go of what is out of your control

It’s a stressful and uncertain time and it is inevitable that you’ll be feeling worried. However, the coronavirus situation as well as the rules that we have to abide by because of it are completely out of your control. It is important that you don’t get too anxious or depressed about it. If you think of it a bit like this:

‘The coronavirus situation is happening anyway, whether I get anxious/depressed/worried about it, the outcome will be the same, however that might look. So there really is no point in me stressing and worrying – I might as well spend my energy focusing on the things that I can control.’

Look carefully at this diagram. You might like to design and create your own version:

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3) Take time to remember and reflect on the good stuff.

Create a mind-map, list, make a PowerPoint slide, piece of artwork or whatever around everything and everyone in your life that you have to be grateful for. This could be specific to your life like this:

Or even the perhaps unexpected positive things that you’re noticing because of the coronavirus situation – like this:

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It is scientifically proven that feeling or showing gratitude stimulates dopamine in the brain. That is the ‘feel good,’ chemical and gives us a real boost.

There are many other ways that you can reflect on things/people you are grateful for and could be a number of projects or activities. It might be that you create something about an individual, e.g. why I am grateful for my mum/best friend/whoever! If you do this, then it would be doubly fabulous if you shared it with them when completed.

Or, it might be subjective, e.g. why I am grateful that I am me! Take some time to really reflect on all the great things about yourself.

Finally, some people like to create a gratitude journal. This might be a special journal or could be just a notebook, pieces of paper or done electronically on something like Word or PowerPoint. Every day, date and record 3 things that you are grateful for. It can be a nice activity to do in the mornings – a little dopamine boost to start the day. There is even a gratitude happiness journal app if you’re interested in downloading that.

4) Be kind to others

Don't ever underestimate the value of being kind to others. One small act of kindness can release a chain of positive events. Take action and carry out a random act of kindness for someone else. Research shows that helping others can be beneficial to our own mental health. It can reduce stress, improve our emotional wellbeing and even benefit our physical health. Again, making someone else happy releases dopamine and makes the giver and the receiver feel good.

More than ever, other people need us to be kind and show that we care. Elderly or vulnerable friends, neighbours or relatives are cut off and we need to get creative about how we go about showing that we care about them. It might be that you usually see elderly relatives once or twice a week – or even less. Obviously, you can’t see them at all at the moment, but you can call them. Why not call them every day – or once every other day, so that the frequency of contact with them is increased – even if it’s not face to face? Perhaps call them off of your own back – so that you don’t just speak to them whilst mum is already on the phone them? Let yours be a separate phone call that could potentially mean so much more. Chat to them – ask them about their most important memories – tell them that you want to hear a different memory each time you call them; find out about your own family history; let them know what they mean to you. Try to come up with different ways in which you can help and support the elderly and vulnerable within the rules that are in place at the moment.

You can also engage in an act of kindness every day for the people you live with. Think about what you can do for your family – you might even make a list or a plan of some sort. E.g.

Monday – Take mum breakfast in bed Tuesday – plant a note in dad’s trouser pocket for him to find later telling him how fabulous

he is – or something to make him laugh Wednesday – Bake something that you know your older sibling will really love

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Thursday – Spend some time teaching your younger sibling something new whilst mum has some ‘me time!’

Friday – Create a gratitude mind-map/piece of artwork/list in your phone or whatever about a family member and share it with them

Saturday - Take everyone breakfast in bed Sunday – Do all of the clearing up after dinner

Obviously these are interchangeable and just suggestions. You can google, ‘simple acts of kindness,’ for more ideas and lots of things will come up. Obviously a lot of the ideas you will need to discard because of the social distancing situation, but there are also many that you can use.

4) Mindfulness

So – mindfulness definitely isn’t about sitting in the lotus position all day! Mindfulness means paying full attention to something. It means slowing down to really notice what you're doing. Being mindful is the opposite of rushing or multitasking. When you're mindful, you're taking your time and noticing the present moment. The idea is that whatever mindful activity that you’re doing, that you’re fully present in that moment and not worrying about the future or the past. You’re just, ‘being.’ Mindfulness practices can help us to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression. It can also help us to focus our attention, as well as to observe our thoughts and feelings.

Meditation

There are a number of different ways you can engage in mindfulness. I strongly recommend that you have a go at a guided meditation first as it will help you to understand what is meant by being present within the moment. If you type in ‘guided mindfulness for teens,’ into YouTube or google, there are literally millions! I use an app, ‘Headspace,’ or there is another, ‘Calm.’ But there are lots of free guided meditations online lasting from 1 minute to 2 hours. This is a 5 minute one I found that seems pretty good! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inpok4MKVLM

Mindful Colouring

If meditation really isn’t your thing, you can get lovely colouring books from Amazon – or again there are lots online that you can print off. Google ‘printable mindfulness colouring,’ and take your pick. There are thousands. The idea is the same though – you get lost within the moment, colouring and focusing solely on the intricate designs.

Other Mindfulness Ideas

Once you understand the concept of mindfulness, you can engage in it in many different ways, including eating, exercising, walking, sitting, breathing and virtually anything else. There are some excellent examples here that take just 1 minute: https://psychcentral.com/blog/1-minute-mindfulness-exercises/

5) Exercise

The link between exercise and positive mental health and well-being has been scientifically proven many times over. At the time of writing this, we are still allowed to go out for a walk (no more than 2 people keeping at least 2m distance from others). Walking is a brilliant form of exercise – especially if you can walk within nature. It is a beautiful, stunning time of year and that in itself is very uplifting and excellent for well-being.

Again, there are thousands of things online – and workouts on YouTube. Aerobics/boxercise/yoga whatever floats your boat! Pick something new maybe and give it a go. The important thing is to

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stay active. If you turn into a couch potato then that almost certainly have a negative impact on your well-being.

6) Create your bucket list

You can have lots of fun doing this and spending time really thinking about what you want to do in your lifetime. You could simply write a list, or turn it into something more creative and arty. However you want to present this really is up to you. The important thing is that you are taking the time now to really consider what is important to you and becoming aware of when/how you might do those things.

You can find lots of ideas online – google, ‘bucket list ideas,’ and there are lots of examples. The traditional bucket list addresses your whole life, but you can also create them for shorter amounts of time, e.g. ‘Bucket list for before I go back to school.’

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7) Take up/continue a hobby

Take some time to think about what it is that interests you. Is there anything new that you’d like to take up that is possible within the current situation? Origami? Knitting? Ant farming? :D Seriously though, even if it’s something that you’d need to attend a club for, then now is the time to do some research around things that might interest you. Find out where and when the local karate or whatever clubs are. Watch some videos on YouTube and find out about whatever it is that floats your boat! Look at ways in which you can engage in these activities and write up a plan for when all of this is over.

Also, for many of you with hobbies and interests, even though your clubs are closed, there is no reason why you can’t carry on. If you’re a dancer – keep on dancing! Take what you’ve learned and make up your own dance. If you’re a singer – keep on singing! Even if it’s into a hairbrush in your bedroom. If you’re a footballer, keep on trying to beat you keepy-uppy personal best! Keep on doing the things that you love, just explore different ways by which to do them within the current restrictions.

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8) Research jobs/careers/organisations/people/causes that interest you

Thinking about and planning for your amazing future is absolutely wonderful for your mental health and well-being. Use the internet to research potential careers. Find examples of real people who do the job that you might like to do and read their stories. If you want to, you could make a PowerPoint or leaflet or whatever to record the information you find for future reference.

Have a look at some Ted Talks given around subjects or people that you find inspirational. Think about what it is about them that inspires you and take some time to really find out what it is that really excites and interests you. Again, you could make a presentation/leaflet/poster around this.

9) Cognitive-behaviour Theory (CBT) and challenging negative thoughts

OK – so this is for if you are starting to feel overwhelmed and are worried that you might be starting to feel anxious or depressed. Our thoughts can sometimes spiral out of control and we become stuck in negative thinking, especially when faced with a difficult or unusual situation. This in turn effects our emotions and behaviours negatively. This is the cognitive triangle:

It is all connected. If we allow our negative thoughts to consume us, then our emotions and behaviours reflect that. For example, during this situation, it could look like this:

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The great news is that thoughts are simply thoughts. They’re not real. Just because we think something doesn’t make it a reality. So, what we do is the following:

1) Capture the negative thoughts. Make them conscious. Listen to them.2) CHANGE them into something more realistic, like this:

I can’t begin to explain the power of this if it done properly! If you’re struggling then do have a go at this. Draw it out if it helps and remember that your negative and overwhelming thoughts aren’t real and you have the power to change them.

This explains it a bit better maybe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcFmrVZ0e-I

Final word

So, I hope that some of this might help you stay positive and also give you something to do over the coming weeks. If you use this time well you could actually really build yourselves up and come out of this situation a better version of you than before all of this happened. It really is all about your mind-set and how you choose to spend your time.

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If any of you are really struggling though, then please do get in touch. We are still working and your Heads of Year will answer emails if they can. You can reach them at pastoralall@roundhill.leics.sch.uk. Alternatively, you can contact me at liz.coltman@roundhill.leics.sch.uk .I can’t promise I’ll respond immediately, but I’ll do my best to get back to you.

We would also love for you to share some of the well-being work that you do with us. Send in photos or documents to liz.coltman@roundhill.leics.sch.uk if there is anything that you would like us to see and potentially share with others.

Finally, if any of you are working with Rory, or have in the past and feel like you would like to contact him, then his email is rory.cahill@roundhill.leics.sch.uk. Again, he might not be able to respond immediately, but will do his best to get back to you as soon as he can.

So – look after yourselves and the people you love. Build yourselves up over the coming weeks and try to stay positive.

Take care and all the best!

Miss Coltman

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