The next few weeks will be challenging in lots of ways, and those with mental health issues will find isolation particularly hard.

We are not mental health experts, but we have compiled a list of actions that may help you and your team through these challenging times.

Stay connected ?

Set up a WhatsApp group and check in a different times of day.

Evenings can feel particularly scary if you are alone, so try and connect when someone might be feeling low.

Keep active ??

Encourage the team to do an activity each day. Use online resources of different activities to try, if you can book a time to do this together, even better.

Get as much sunlight, fresh air and nature as you are able.

Talk ?

Ask how people are a coping and suggest one on one chats if needed.

Routine ?

Encourage everyone to have a routine. Suggest creating a timetable similar to a normal day, including showering and changing for the day.

Breathing exercises ?

This may not be for everyone, but you could share meditation tips. Headspace is a great resource and is a good way of relaxing the mind.

Fun ?

Try and bring some fun into the day. Here’s some ideas to stay connected in a fun way

• Create a quiz night run on WhatsApp
• Run a ‘best gif’ competition on your group
• Share selfies
• Ask people to share pics of their pets at home
• Share book and movie reviews or create a book club

Water ?

Regularly remind the team to keep drinking water. This is beneficial both physically and mentally.

Take a break ?

Remind people to take a break from the digital world, particularly social media. Suggest that they only trust information from government and NHS websites.

Spread some joy ?

There are some positive stories coming out, such as the support in local communities. Share these stories to help lift the spirits.

Relax ☕️

Get the team to write and share a list of creative ideas to help relax. This could be reading, art, writing, and calligraphy. Encourage people to be as creative as they can and ask them to share the results.

These are just a few ideas, if you have any more that we can share in our communities please do tell us about them.

Even though we may be in isolation, together we are stronger.