Inside The Home

Bring the outside in

If you’re unable to get outside due to illness or other limitations, bring the outside in.

• Try planting some seedlings such as vegetables or flowers and watching them grow. You don’t even need fancy equipment, to begin with, try planting some seeds in some clean yoghurt pots.
• If you have a garden then try putting some bird feed on a feeder or even just on a table, and see what types of birds come to visit.

Get creative

Arts and Crafts are a good way of keeping busy, whilst (mostly) being simple enough that your brain doesn’t work too hard, which helps you relax in times where you are stressed. Try downloading some online adult colouring pages, or try taking up a new hobby such as knitting, crocheting or painting. You could even sell your arts and crafts online to raise some extra money. If you don’t know what to do with your crafts, you could also consider donating them to us. We will soon be starting online auctions where we sell donated crafts to raise money for our charity.

Write a list of things to do

Writing down tasks helps you to keep track of everything you’ve done. No matter how small the task, even if it’s reminding yourself to eat something, ticking off a completed task helps to motivate you to tackle the next one. Before you know it all the small tasks will add up and you’ll realise just how much you’ve managed to get done. Even if you don’t feel up to working your way through a list, sit and write down all the small things you’ve managed to do already, and you’ll find that you’ve actually accomplished more than you initially thought.

Keep your mind active

OpenLearn with the Open University offers hundreds of free courses that you can do from home. Simply make an account, pick the course you want to do and enrol to begin. The courses have introductory, beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, with the length ranging anywhere from an hour to 50 hours. Some of the courses are classed as ‘badge’ courses, where you earn a virtual badge and participation certificate upon completion. The badges can be displayed on social media or even your LinkedIn profile. These courses are good for keeping your mind active and also offering you a chance to learn a new skill at the same time.

Outside the home

Go for a walk

• Try planning a route that will take the length of your favourite podcast, or even walking your favourite route whilst listening to your favourite music playlist. A lot of people are spending more time at home but it’s still important to get some fresh air.
• If you find yourself bored whilst walking, try to play some small games. This could be counting how many different types of birds you see on your route, or if you’re walking near a road, see which colour vehicle, or even which model of vehicle, passes you the most.
• Exercise is known to produce endorphins, a chemical that reduces stress and pain.

Above all, talk about your feelings, not just on Mental Health Day. Your mental health is important every day.