The Coronavirus Pandemic poses a number of threats to our physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The aim of this website is to provide people with the resources that they need to manage their mental health at home during this very difficult time.

Breathing exercises

In fight or flight mode our breathing speeds up, so to flip back into rest and digest mode, we need to slow our breathing down. On top of this when we’re in fight or flight we focus on getting oxygen in, and not on getting waste gases out, so breathing out for longer than we breathe in can help to counter-balance this.

Slow it down and use your diaphragm

Try breathing in through your nose for 6 seconds and then out through your mouth for 8*. You can do this sat in a chair or lying down. Once you’ve got that then focus on making each breath really deep. Try putting your hands near the top of your stomach, just at the bottom of your rib cage where your diaphragm is, and concentrate on making your abdomen expand as you breathe in. Then as you breathe out let it relax to normal again. For each breath focus on this movement until you are naturally breathing slower and deeper.

Focus your attention

Next you can try counting down your breathing as a meditative practice. Focus on what each breath feels like- the movement of your stomach, and your shoulders, the sounds you make breathing, the feel of air rushing in through your nose and out of your mouth. Notice the change in temperature between air coming in and out. See if you can trace the feeling of the air through your wind pipes. As you focus all of your attention on your breathing start to count down from 30 with each breath. If you lose focus and your mind wonders, or if you forget what number you were on then just return to 30 and try again. You will find it is very difficult to get down to 0 but it will help focus your attention away from your worries and slow your heart-rate and breathing! This exercise can be particularly helpful when trying to get to sleep.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

When we are anxious and in fight or flight mode we tend to tense our muscles, often without even noticing. In order to shift back into rest and digest mode we might need to purposefully relax our muscles. One very effective way of doing this is to work through each muscle group in your body clenching those muscles as much as you can for 10-20 seconds and then completely releasing them. If you try this with your shoulders now you will probably find that they drop lower than they were before you clenched them! Try lying down and work through your muscles in the order below. Do just one area at a time but tense as much as you can.

Grounding exercises

Grounding is a term for bringing ourselves back into the present when we start to feel emotionally overwhelmed and out of control. Anxiety can often make us feel like this, and it often goes with thoughts like ‘I can’t cope with this anymore’ and ‘I don’t know what to do’. It also often goes hand in hand with tearfulness, breathing very quickly, or starting to feel nauseous. If you find yourself feeling like this it can be really scary, so make sure you know what your most effective grounding strategies are early on and then write it on a post-it note to remind you if you start to get overwhelmed. Below are some ideas of things that other people find work for them:

A strong smell like smelling salts, or essential oils
The part of the brain related to smell is really close to the part of the brain associated with fear and emotional memories. If we are imagining bad things that could happen in the future, or remembering something upsetting that has already happened, a strong smell that wouldn’t be present in those imagined/remembered situations can help bring us back into the present. If you’re in self-isolation you might use spices that you already have in the cupboard, or ask a friend or neighbour if they could pick you up a bottle of essential oils and drop them through your letterbox!

A strong taste - by the same logic taste can help us to ‘snap out of’ memories or imagined situations that are upsetting. Sour sweets or a hot chili sauce can work.
A tactile object - having a stress ball to squeeze, beads on a string that you can move up or down, a bouncy ball to throw and catch, a soft blanket to stroke, or any other tactile object that you can interact with to keep you focussed on the present can help. It can be particularly helpful if the object is associated with positive memories, i.e. a shell from a beach where you went on holiday, or a gift from a friend.

A photograph - sometimes it can be helpful to ground ourselves by remembering what we have in the present. During self-isolation you might not get to see all of your favourite people, but remembering that they’re there and they still love you is important. Keep a photo of the people you can’t be with right now to focus in on if you start to feel overwhelmed, and once you’ve got your breathing in order and are feeling a bit better, why not pick up the phone to them or give them a video call?
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - this is a simple grounding exercise that can be done anywhere and there are five steps:

• Notice 5 things you can see right now- things close to you, further away, out of the window. Notice them in detail, name their shapes and colours in your head.
• Notice 4 things you can hear- again some things might be outside, some might be inside, some might even be in your own body.
• Notice 3 things you can feel- it might be the pressure of your back and bum on your seat, or feet on the ground (this can be helpful as it’s a reminder that we are always physically grounded). You might notice the feel of clothes on your skin, or your temperature, or the feel of air moving in and out of your lungs.
• Notice 2 things you can smell- this can be difficult, but often our own clothes keep a smell, or we might smell food or an air freshener.
• Notice 1 thing you can taste- this can be very hard as we rarely focus on taste unless we’re eating, but have a go at just focusing on your taste sense for a bit and see what you notice.
  Physical grounding - when we are really overwhelmed we often feel a bit nauseous and weak and want to sit down and shut our eyes, but if we can make ourselves use our muscles and have to focus our physical energy on something in the present, this can be a very effective way of grounding. Two helpful ways to do this are planking, or a wall-sit (see pictures below).

‘Don’t Worry’

As many of us well know this is easier said than done, especially when you’re spending lots of time on your own! If you are struggling to find things other than your worries about coronavirus to focus on, see the resource for ‘what to do when the worrying gets too much’.

Rescources for children

Simple tips on how to talk to kids about the corona virus:

• Be calm, honest, and informed.
• Tailor your approach based on your child—think about whether more information makes them more or less anxious.
• Share facts simply and calmly—kids take their cue from you.
• Ask your child what they know, answer their questions and address any misinformation.
• Validate their feelings, while reassuring them- “I understand this can be scary. The risk is still low, and we’re well prepared."
• Remind them of what’s in their power—washing hands thoroughly and often, coughing and sneezing into their elbow, getting plenty of sleep, etc.

As we have already mentioned in our Guidelines page, setting up routines and being empathetic is key to dealing with kids and COVID-19. We do understand that finding suitable resources to establish such routines might be difficult. Below, you will find some ideas as to what you can do to keep your children entertained, informed, and feeling safe. As always, we remain open to your suggestions.

Hand-washing routines

Despite being considered generally easy, establishing a solid hand-washing routine might take more time than expected. Keep in mind the tips below:

• Teach children to wash hands after sneezing, coughing or blowing noses, before touching food, after going to the toilet, after being in public places, and after being around sick people.
• A regular and consistent hand-washing routine can help young children remember to wash. Singing a song can help children wash for 20 seconds. It also makes hand-washing fun!
• Be a good hand-washing and hygiene role model. Children and teenagers are more likely to have good hand hygiene if they see you leading by example.

Fairytales

Storytelling is a great way to get a message across. Here are three free, printable fairytales related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

My hero is you
The princess in black
Coronavirus

Videos

You can find more information and useful resources here

Child Life
Raising Children

If you are seeking mental support call the National Coronavirus Helpline