Need In Depth Resources? C H E C K T H E S E O U T ! ! ! ! This pamphlet created by Rethink in collaboration with students contains a comprehensive guide to coping with your mental health during this pandemic. It includes tips on social media, advice on managing anxiety, some exercises to help lower your distress, as well as alot more. https://soasunion.org/asset/Org anisation/9883/Step-up-mental- health-zine-3-1.pdf you can also find it on the soas su website under soas mental health society Body and Soul are a charity that are currently hosting a FREE Mental Health Livestream, providing young people and adults aged 16-30 with effective and concrete skills to help young people manage emotional distress. You can sign up at http://bodyandsoulcharity.org/sharethel ove The LGBT+ GUIDE TO SELF ISOLATION by PRIDE https://knock.houseofpride.co/images/pdfs/lgbt selfisolation_hop_final2.pdf? fbclid=IwAR0xIz783e5IHvyS9GncmCVacih4Iwxp zoUrVgsVJWmlMoWv_CPjd6m7B5E This booklet contains additional information on self care written by students for students to get through these strange times, including: -activities, entertainment and distraction -tips for distress tolerance. -mindfulness We hope that even if none of these recommendations appeal to you that this booklet gives you a bit of amusement as it chronicles a few people slowly going insane. The master procrastinator's guide to wasting time and feeling good about it An often overlooked aspect of self care is simply staying occupied. Yes, actively ignoring your problems isn’t the most healthy long term solution to cope with the harder times, and this booklet and the Rethink zine have some great recommendations for healthy mental/physical/emotional practises. But, we shouldn't pressure ourselves to be productive at all times, it's important to get relief from the world for an hour or two. For those of us just trying to ward off cabin fever, here is a list of some less obvious ways to waste time, because not everything we do needs to be for any bigger purpose than to get through the hours in a day. In case you haven't had enough of staring at a screen or still need an internet connection to thrive, here are some further recommendations: TV SHOWS Tiger King (Netflix) - a bunch of crazy people fighting over cats Feel Good (All4) - cute queer tv show about life and addiction Letterkenedy - Canadian Comedy, be prepared for thick accents and hockey Next in Fashion (Netflix) - Project runway but more creative, relaxing and inspiring. Netflix Films Missing Link -an animated GEM The Little Prince -another animation gem, based off the french children’s book Ladybird -a coming of age film exploring maternal relationships Seoul Searching -funny and colourful teen comedy about an 80's summer camp Films to stream Knives Out -Quirky murder mystery Kubo and The Two Strings- heartfelt animated adventure Fantastic Mr Fox- offbeat Wes Anderson animation - so pretty! Mulan -Disney Classic with banging songs Podcasts Doing It, Hannah Witton - Sex Positivity Risk! Podcast -true storytelling, each episode a wildcard. Always trigger warnings if necessary :) Disneyland for Designers -architecture and ride design of disney Albums Beautiful Faces, Declan McKenna -banger Foxy Shazam , Foxy Shazam - better glam rock, either love or hate it Pure Herione, Lorde - escapism through dream pop Oil of Every Pearls in-Insides, SOPHIE -Kling Klang Pots used to create euphoric sounds Instagram Accounts @BritishGoop - Funny 2000’s British magazine snippets. A great laugh (wild!) @DepopDrama -hilarious screenshots of depop messages gone wrong @YellowPrawns -Amazing Artist, Incredible Talent (definitely not part of MHS) @AleisterVonTeese -Best cat account ever! @RavveBeauty - Euphoria (HBO) as an instagram account? Youtube Dragula: reality competition show about alternative types of drag. Warning = quite a bit of gore! Bee and puppycat, web show: just plain ass cute Jane Fonda exercise videos: for exercise and 80’s nostalgia Video games (sims, animal crossing or minecraft are the most relaxing) Dream Daddy Club penguin The escapist Monster High School Divinity Original Sin 2 (really really really long story based RPG) Coolmath-games.- be glad at least you’re not in secondary school anymore Habbo / Club Penguin with friends Non-streaming activities Level up your book game- don't just read, discuss it too. You’ve probably got around to reading those books you only bought in the first place because the waterstones employee pressured you with the ‘buy one get one half price’ scenario once you got to the till and in your panic you grabbed the first thing nearest to the till so you didn’t have to do the walk of shame around the bookstore while they and everyone else in the line watches you. Now you’ve finished them, tell the world what a scholar you are by writing reviews on goodreads.com. Unleash your inner critic and tell the other facebook mums how it really be. Learning, not studying - Break the stereotype, be a student that loves actually enjoys learning. Tackle something that interests you for no purpose but curiosity. Or, find inspiration through free online courses at the open university- Write letters you’ll never send- If you’re the type of person to have imaginary arguments with people, find the imaginary resolution and hash it out in an eloquently penned sonnet. Get it all out on paper, who you hate, who you love, who doesn't deserve you. And then cathartically burn it. Or flush it, or eat it. Fuck up your hair - Go wild, why the hell not? Do what you’ve always wanted to do, ain't no one seeing it. Seriously, it. Grows. Back. Deface old magazines/newspapers -bonus points if they have your political opponents/ mortal enemies in. Masturbate- You’re probably doing it anyway, so it's time to shake it up, do something different. Have a bed sheet fashion show- Finally time to bust out that catwalk playlist you’ve had ready since you got Spotify Student. Reshuffle your room around- Marie Kondo your issues away, plus it definitely count as cardio Put on a whole face and cry it off- have a cathartic cry just to let it out and look hot doing it. Follow up with artsy selfies and a good face mask. If isolated with someone else, make them take a KAHOOT quiz on something you can teach them about. Recommended topics include: Eurovision Winners Weird Animals (birds are a good one!) Lesser known instruments Learn Sign Language- lets all learn to communicate better. Skillshare - Two month free trials available, remember to cancel it if you don't want to get charged! Stalk your old social media profiles and cringe- there may be a pandemic but at least you’re not emo anymore -the mental health society would like it to be known that there is nothing wrong with emo and do not support the implications of this slander- Live Streaming concerts or radios- Check out @queerhouseparty on instagram (free with tips) and https://www.stageit.com/digitaldragfest (cost £10) Take care of your Mind + Body! Many of us will experience sadness, anger, and shame during confinement. If these affect you intensely, and you may feel an oncoming panic attack, difficulty breathing, tension all over the body or certain harmful impulses there are a list of physical exercises you can do to regulate your body sensations and therefore your emotions. Paired muscle relaxation https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/Progressive_Muscle_Relaxation.pdf you can look up certain videos on paired muscle relaxation youtube as guided exercises Take a cold shower Do intense exercise Stretching -Body positioning. The way you position your body on a daily basis is hugely overlooked in its contribution to mental health. When you position yourself in a certain way, your body sends signals to your brain, which in turn informs your mental well being. As such; If you are positioned like this, curled in a ball, arms and legs tight to your chest, head downwards, you will have a tendency to feel worse than if you use open body language; head directed straight on, arms open, palms of your hands and inner arms towards the outside legs kept apart, back straight, but relaxed overall. If you feel distressed, lie down , back to the floor, in starfish, palm of your hands to the sky, legs apart. If you wait some time, you will start to notice some changes in your mind. See illustrations below for reference. Some quick Mindfulness and Meditation exercises you might find helpful include: (set a timer for 3 minutes) Count for 2 inhaling count 4 exhaling Count for 1 inhaling count 2 exhaling, 2 inhaling 3 exhaling, 3 inhaling 4 exhaling, 4 inhaling 5 exhaling, 5 inhaling 6 exhaling, 4 inhaling 5 exhaling, 3 inhaling 4 exhaling, 2 inhaling 3 exhaling, 1 inhaling 2 exhaling and so on Imagine a rectangle as you breathe; as you inhale, imagine the width of the rectangle and as you exhale imagine the length of the rectangle. Repeat. Listen to a song. Concentrate on one specific sound from beginning to end. As you inhale, make sure to feel the air at the very bottom of your lungs. When you exhale, make sure you do so slowly and always exhale longer than you inhale. Bring awareness to your inner sensations and those that surround you. These are just a few exercises. Feel free to pick one or two that suit you. Notice your surroundings to bring yourself back to the present (4 things you can see, 3 things you touch, 2 things you can smell and one thing you can taste) .