Life can be stressful, not just during Covid-19 but during everyday life. From exam stresses, family fallouts and just feeling generally overwhelmed. At #TeamKC we want to support you whilst in College and out. We have a variety of support networks available to you, however, we wanted to share some helpful apps and ways that you can achieve calmness that you can do during this crisis and beyond.
Take a deep breath!
Free version and paid plans available on App store.
Use guided meditations that focus on Anxiety, Stress, Self-care, Inner peace, Focus, Emotions, Personal growth, Less Guidance, Relationships and Sleep. Breathing exercises, relaxing music and an extensive list of sleep stories are also available. If you have trouble sleeping, listening to a sleep story with narrators such as Alan Sklar, David Walliams, Jerome Flynn and Leona Lewis will soon have you snoring.
Free and paid plans on the app store.
Listen to hundreds of guided meditations, mini-meditations, sleep sounds, SOS meditations for emergencies. The app encourages you to understand meditation and find a technique that works for you.
The app is specifically designed to help combat the challenges of remote study and the mental health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Programmes and audio guides cover topics including managing distractions and uncertainty, maintaining motivation and positivity, staying connected, self-care and healthy habits.
Looking for a way of relaxing and de-stressing? Adult colouring books can help. Loads are available to purchase and some illustrators are offering free and paid at home colouring pages including; Poppy Deyes, Emma J Shipley’s designs of Jungle animals, Bluebellgray design of staying home and Jacqueline Colley’s design thanking the NHS.
Gardening can be so beneficial for your mental health, getting out in the garden is a great mood buster and can help you with calmness and anxiety. If you don’t have an outside garden, buy some indoor plants and download the planta app to help you keep them alive. Zoella discusses the benefits of gardening for your mental health.
Gratitude practices is a great mood-boosting method. The more you look for what you are grateful for the more you can train your brain to see the positives in your life. Buy a bullet journal or use your notes pages on your phone and get writing! Journalling can also help relieve stress by helping you work through feelings of anxiousness, it can also help find your triggers for stress, anxiety and depression.
Having a plan for coping with bad days can be beneficial to identify how to lift your mood. Having a plan for both good and bad days normalises how common both experiences are.
Exercise is a really good mood buster, going for a walk with the dogs, practising yoga or going for a run can help improve your mood and keep you calm. Some great Apps are Couch to 5K and exercise live sessions with Joe Wicks and Alice Liveing.
Sometimes to feel the release of emotions you just need to bake, this is especially ideal given the lockdown situation! Everyone seems to be making bread, lemon drizzle cake and banana loaf. Just make sure you can get your hands on those key ingredients!
Getting lost between the pages of a book or listening to a podcast whilst on a walk can evoke a feeling of calmness. Escape from the real world and sit down with a nice read.
There’s help out there, talking about your anxious feelings can help you feel a lot calmer. You don’t even have to talk about your anxiety, just a general chit chat can go a long way. Talk to friends, family, GP, Adults at #TeamKC (Did you know we have a counsellor?). We also have blog posts and resources online: Build your mental fitness, ‘Live Activities’ to keep you busy, Working from home Tips: Part 1 & Part 2.
03444 775 774 (helpline)
07537 416 905 (text)
Advice and support for people living with anxiety.
Infoline: 0300 123 3393
Email: info@mind.org.uk
Text: 86463
CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15 to 35.
Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
Website: www.thecalmzone.net
Voluntary charity offering support for sufferers of panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Offers a course to help overcome your phobia or OCD.
Phone: 0844 967 4848 (daily, 10am to 10pm). Calls cost 5p per minute plus your phone provider’s Access Charge
Website: www.nopanic.org.uk
Young suicide prevention society.
Phone: HOPELINEUK 0800 068 4141 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 10pm, and 2pm to 10pm on weekends and bank holidays)
Website: www.papyrus-uk.org
Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair.
Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)
Website: www.samaritans.org.uk
Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals.
Phone: Parents’ helpline 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm)
Website: www.youngminds.org.uk
Children’s charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty.
Phone: 0800 1111 for Childline for children (24-hour helpline)
0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child (24-hour helpline)
Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
