Quarriers - Managing Your Wellbeing During Winter

Managing your wellbeing during winter This guide hopes to provide you with some tools and tips to keep yourself safe and look after your wellbeing during this winter lockdown.

Make self-care a priority

Keeping busy

Ways to keep in touch

Practice gratitude Get moving Ways to learn Keep a routine Support available

Looking after yourself Make self-care a priority Self-care should always be a priority. Self-care can be anything from going to sleep an hour earlier to phoning a friend or getting out for a short walk. Here are some of our self-care tips and ideas: • Get a good night’s sleep.

• Go outside for some fresh air.

• Keep (or plan) a routine.

• Recognise what causes you to feel stress and find positive ways to cope with this.

• Wear comfy clothes during the day.

• Do something creative.

• Eat proper meals.

• Remind yourself it’s ok to feel how you are feeling.

Useful apps and links • NHS Self-care tips for young people • Young Minds: Young people’s self-care tips for self-isolation (youngminds.org.uk) • BBC Good Food: Recipes and cooking tips • Sleep tips for teenagers - NHS Calm is an app which can help you manage sleep lower stress and less anxiety.

Find easy recipes based on what you have at home.

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Action for Happiness (www. actionforhappiness.org) Daily actions designed to help you support your mental health and wellbeing.

Practice gratitude Gratitude is all about identifying what we are grateful for in our lives. Practising gratitude can help us change the way we feel about a situation or see things more positively.

Ways to practice gratitude: • Make your own gratitude journal.

• Let someone know that you are grateful for them.

• End your day by writing down or thinking about three positive things that have happened.

• Smile and say thank you more often.

• Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones.

• Random acts of kindness (e.g. check in on your neighbours).

Useful apps and links • 13 most popular gratitude exercises and activities • Mindfulness for Teens • How to start a gratitude journal Gratitude: Diary, Vision Board Start your day with Gratitude, create your 2021 vision board, reminders to focus on little things, and much more.

Headspace A science-backed mindfulness and meditation app, providing tools and resources to help reduce stress, build resilience, and aid better sleep.

Keeping yourself motivated Keeping busy While we are all staying at home, it’s easy to feel bored or struggle to think of things to do. Here are some suggestions for you to try: • Start a new book.

• Have a clear out.

• Do some arts and crafts.

• Take up photography.

• Start a podcast.

• Learn how to do calligraphy.

• Make a photo album of your favourite lockdown memories.

• Start a new Netflix series.

• Practice cooking skills.

Useful apps and links • The Reader’s Digest book recommendations • The Home Edit: organise your home • Arts and crafts ideas • Calligraphy and hand lettering for beginners • Netflix recommendations Netflix Start a new TV series.

Colour by Number Use this app to download pages that you can colour in.

Kindle Explore a huge range of books.

Get moving During winter, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to get outdoors. But even the smallest amount of time spent doing a physical activity can improve your fitness and benefit your wellbeing.

There are many ways to exercise such as: • walking • cycling • yoga • home workouts • Joe Wicks PE lessons • dancing • running • cleaning

Useful apps and links • Joe Wicks PE lessons • Mrs Hinch home cleaning tips • Courtney Black home workouts • Clubbercise cardio fitness routine Strava Track your fitness, record your running, map a cycling route and analyse your training.

Map my Walk Track and map all your workouts.

Yoga for Beginners A useful app for starting out with yoga.

Couch to 5K An app for beginners to work up to running a 5K.

Learning during lockdown Ways to learn There are many ways you can learn in lockdown. This time can also give you a chance to learn some new life skills. Use some of our ideas to enhance your learning: • BBC Bitesize Interactive videos and quizzes to help support you with your learning. https://www.bbc.com/education • Baking or cooking This will help with your maths, reading and home economics skills.

• Learn a new language Try downloading Duolingo.

• Practice life skills Household chores such as sewing, ironing, doing the washing, etc.

• Watch documentaries on Netflix Explore Netflix to find documentaries you could learn from.

Useful apps and links • Secondary teaching resources - BBC Teach • Secondary homework help (BBC Bitesize) • 50 educational Netflix shows • Life skills for teens • Four easy meals to start cooking BBC Bitesize Education Content from BBC Bitesize.

Notes Use this app to draw, write down notes, scan documents, etc.

Words with Friends Challenge your friends and learn at the same time.

Keep a routine Routines can be hard to stick to when you are at home, but having a plan in place can really help to get you started.

Top tips for keeping a routine • Try to keep bedtime and mornings the same time as a normal school day.

• Get up in the morning and get dressed. This can help to get you motivated.

• Stick to meal times as you would if you were at school.

• Have set times of the day for breaks and time for you.

Useful apps and links • The importance of routine • Tips for creating a routine during self-isolation • Take time out - YoungMinds TimeBloc Set up your day and plan in some breaks and times. Plan when your classes are and set reminders.

My Study-Life Use this app to plan your study times, classes and make it easier to manage.

Alarm Use your phone alarm to set reminders and alarms throughout the day of when to take breaks.

Staying connected Ways to keep in touch During lockdown it is important to stay connected with others. We can do this by: • Arranging a family Zoom call.

• FaceTime with your friends.

• Doing some activities together online.

• Setting up a Netflix party and watch the same film as a friend.

• Using social media.

• Researching the guidelines and if you can, meeting with someone outside.

• Texting or phoning someone to ask how they are.

• Making plans for the future with friends (something to look forward to).

Useful apps and links • Set up a Netflix party • 24 fun games you can play on Zoom and other conference calls

Social media A great way to stay in touch, with apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Messenger.

Kahoot!

Arrange a game with your friends.

Support available You might find that you need to reach out to someone or talk to someone during this period of time. Here are some helpful contact numbers: • Quarriers Resilience for Wellbeing Service – 01896 668411 • Breathing Space – 0800 83 85 87 • Samaritans – 116 123 or text 07725 90 90 90 • Childline – 0800 1111 • LGBT Scotland Helpline – 0300 123 2523 • Young Minds Crisis Messenger – Text YM to 85258

Useful links • Mind – coronavirus and your wellbeing • Young Minds – looking after yourself • Staying Safe (A guide for those who are having suicidal thoughts or intentions) • Young Scot coronavirus information • Childline – managing your feelings

Quarriers Resilience for Wellbeing Service, The Hive, Low Buckholmside, Galashiels, TD1 1RT Call: 01896 668411

Text: 07937 986558 borders@quarriers.org.uk www.quarriers.org.uk/borders

Registered and Head Office: Quarriers, Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir PA11 3SX Call 01505 616000/612224 Email schoolbasedservices@quarriers.org.uk

www.quarriers.org.uk/schoolbasedservices

Quarriers is a registered Scottish Charity No SC001960