HOW TO STAY CALM AT HOME DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING – FOR PUPILS AND PARENTS
1. Watch the news to stay informed however do not become consumed by it- do this by watching it at certain times and then switch it off.
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2. Watch some of your favorite films, programs or Netflix series. Is there something you can watch together and have a family film day or night?
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3. Stay connected with family and friends via phone; video call or social media however have a break from your phone just like the news.
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4. Bake or make some nice food together. Maybe the children can teach you what they have been learning in their cooking classes
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5. Get creative together either by drawing, painting or making something.
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6. Go for a walk; get outside in nature, visit your Local Park or local national park, as they are all currently free to the public.
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7. Have space away from each other in your bedrooms- if you feel like it, do some mindfulness breathing. There are lots of YouTube clips to help with this.
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8. Write, journal or doodle your thoughts and feelings down
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9. Listen to your favorite piece of music and have a dance. Make a social distancing play list together.
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10. Read your favorite book or a book you haven’t got round to reading
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11. Do some exercise at home- again there will be lots of clips on you tube
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12. Take some time to rest
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13. Do that chore in the house that you have been meaning to do
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14. Make a goal or vision board of the things you would like to achieve and do when things return to normal
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15. Remember this is temporary and things will resume soon.
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MINDFULNESS YOU TUBE LINKS
MINDFULNESS APPS
https://www.smilingmind.com.au
- Breathe: Dr. Vo helped to develop this mindfulness app for youth with the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre (British Columbia, Canada). Free for Apple and Android mobile devices!
- Stop, Breathe, and Think: Web and mobile app for youth, with meditations for mindfulness and compassion.
- Calm.com: Free website and mobile app with guided meditation and relaxation exercises.
- Insight Timer: Free mobile app with virtual “bells” to time and support your meditations, and access to lots of guided meditations by many different meditation teachers (including Dr. Vo).
- Plum Village: Zen Meditation. Free app for iOS, loaded with beautiful meditations and teachings in the Plum Village / Thich Nhat Hanh tradition.
- MindShift: Free mobile app for teens developed by AnxietyBC, with mindfulness and other coping skills for anxiety.
- Smiling Mind: Free mobile mindfulness app for young people, from Australia.
- Headspace: “Meditation made simple.” This app has a free introductory period, after which it requires a paid subscription to continue to use.
Guided Meditation Recordings
In addition to mindfulnessforteen.com’s free guided meditations, here are a few more recordings:
- Amy Saltzman, MD, Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Teens (CD)
- Gina Biegel, LMFT, Mindfulness for Teens: Meditation Practices to Reduce Stress and Promote Well-Being (CD, MP3)
- Larry Rosen, MD. “The Buddha and the Fig Tree.” (CD, MP3)
- Mindful.org’s “Audio Resources for Guided Meditations” collection: Online, free guided meditations.
THE NSPCC AND EMERGING MINDS HAVE CREATED RESOURCES FOR PARENTS OR CARER WORRIED ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR CHILDREN AT THIS TIME:
Take care,
Jamie-Leigh Agent
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