#SurviveAndThrive – Prioritising Wellbeing & Keeping Spirits Up

These are worrying and overwhelming times and some of us will undoubtedly find ourselves floundering in all the negativity. Here are some things intended purely to provide encouragement, entertainment, hope, light relief, support your wellbeing and generally help you keep smiling:

To make you smile

• We love this Instagrammer’s slideshow of 9 ways to stay positive when the world is scary.
• Need cheering up? Check out these little penguins enjoying having the run of their zoo!
• Local creative, Emily Coxhead, runs the fabulous Happy Newspaper which is just the kind of newspaper we need right now. You can check out her work and subscribe here.
• Need something comforting to listen to? Let your ears feast on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place
• Endless cuteness on the Reddit Awww page.
• A news site just for positive stories.
• International Day of Happiness may have been and gone but you can still make use of their website and resources.
• Check out this soothing yet energising playlist curated by the lovely folks at The Good Trade. (You should also subscribe to their uplifting daily newsletter!)
• Check out John Krasinski’s Some Good News videos for heartwarming tales shared with humour – sure to brighten your day.

Boredom busters

• Free, online, boredom busting resources – the lovely folks over at Chatter Pack have pulled together a list of fun, free stuff to explore online.
• Free creative courses for writers – Writer’s HQ have a whole bunch of free writing courses and resources, including their lates ‘14 Days of Self Write-solation‘ (and their emails are always good for chuckle!).
• Music live in your living room – A list of music artists offering free online concerts to keep you entertained!
• Classical  entertainment –The Royal Opera House are streaming some of their incredible ballet and opera performances for free.
• Explore new places – Take a virtual tour of any of these 30 museums, galleries and zoos.
• #StayHomeWriMo – The creators of National Novel Writing Month have introduced a new initiative – #StayHomeWriMo – during which they will be sharing prompts for mental, physical, social and creative well-being every week day. They’ve also got some awesome resources for kids.
• Free audio stories for kids – David Walliams is releasing a free audio story every day for 30 days – perfect for family listening or to keep the kids entertained!
• Never be bored again – This awesome collection of creative, educational and fun challenges will keep you occupied for hours, days, months! With everything from building a fort to learning the basics of sign language to listening to the entire works of Mozart, there’s something here for everyone.

To support your wellbeing

• If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, anxious or low and want to feel less alone, Matt Haig’s incredible book Reasons to Stay Alive is now available to listen to for free on BBC Sounds. Content warning: the book frankly explores Matt’s personal experiences of suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety. If you are feeling vulnerable and feel this may be triggering for you, give this one a miss and please reach out for help and support if you need it.
• This New York Times article has some great, simple tips for 5 minute stress resets to help relieve COVID anxiety.
• These tips from a NASA astronaut on managing isolation are useful and grounding.
• This simple body mapping and breath work exercise is good for releasing tension and finding a more positive headspace.
• Some grounding skills for dealing with anxiety and PTSD.

Explore the #SurviveAndThrive series

Check out the other blogs in our #SurviveAndThrive series, covering:

• Where to go for the latest guidance and essential Covid-19 information
• Advice for staying productive and healthy whilst working from home
• Ways you can support small businesses
• Useful links and resources to help with everything from home education to discounted services for professionals

We will continue to update each of these posts as more information becomes available and we discover more existing/useful things to share. In the meantime, keep in touch with us on  Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and LinkedIn. We look forward to connecting with you. Stay safe and well.