UNICEF staff councillors recommend that their staff create a wellbeing plan during this unprecedented time, and have put together a list of top tips to help anyone do just that.
1. Stick to routines or start new ones
Get up and go to sleep at a regular time. Get dressed. Exercise. Take a shower. Do the dishes. Involve the children so that you have a family plan.
2. Stay connected
Have video chats with your family, friends and colleagues. Open about how you’re feeling and ask others how they’re feeling. Check in with colleagues regularly, especially those who are alone.
3. Engage in hobbies and things you enjoy
Do karaoke. Read. Cook. Do puzzles. Sew or knit.
4. Set up a ‘worry window’
Write down all your worries throughout the day and give yourself permission to think about those worries during a specific time of day.
5. Engage in wellbeing practices
Use meditation and mindfulness apps (see our list below). Exercise. Keep a gratitude journal in which you write three things you are grateful for every day. Congratulate yourself and others on having a ‘great day’. Remember lots of things have not been cancelled like music, family, reading, singing, laughing and hope. Make sure you enjoy them.
Reference – Unicef Day four: Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore’s video diary amid the coronavirus outbreak | UNICEF
UNICEF Video Diary Playlist
Category – Wellbeing
Format – Youtube Channel
About – UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta H. Fore, has been filming video diaries during her time working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Henrietta offers helpful advice during her videos, particularly on day four where she shares her list of top tips for working from home, which we have referenced above.
House Party
Category -Communication
Format – App
About – House Party allows you to spend time with those you care about via video chat. This free app allows chats with up to 8 people from your contacts list. Once you are in a chat, anyone can add additional people to the chat and even initiate games such as trivia.
Zoom
Category -Communication
Format – App/Website
About – Zoom is another great video chat app/website you can use to contact friends, family or colleagues. Zoom have initiated demos and webinars for information on how to best use the app to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
Audible
Category -Entertainment
Format – App
Audible, the audio-book app, is offering a 30 day free trials with a choice of any book from their library. They are also providing an entirely free service called Audible Stories throughout school closures. This service provides a collection of free stories for children and teens.
Skill Share
Category -Entertainment/Productivity
Format – Website
About – Skill Share provides free online classes for new skills such as SEO, Productivity Habits, Podcasting and Illustration. The website has thousands of classes which include anything from practical work skills or entertainment/hobby-based lessons.
The Body Coach TV
Category – Exercise
Format – YouTube Channel
About – Personal trainer Joe Wicks has many home workouts videos available for free on his YouTube Channel. These classes vary between 10, 20 and 30 minutes and offer a variety of different exercises.
Yoga with Adriene
Category – Exercise/Wellbeing
Format – YouTube Channel
About – Yoga with Adriene is a YouTube Channel offering hundreds of yoga videos for free. There is something for everyone here including yoga focusing on mental health and wellbeing as well as physical health.
The Body Coach TV - P.E with Joe Live workouts for kids
Category – Exercise
Format – YouTube Channel
About – Personal Trainer Joe Wicks will be hosting P.E lessons for kids live on his YouTube Channel every weekday at 9.30am during the school closures.
Supercook
Category – Healthy Eating
Format – Website
About – The Supercook website allows you to input the ingredients you have in stock and produces recipes that include those ingredients.
Change4Life
Category – Healthy Eating
Format – Website
About – Change4Life has a database of healthy recipes suitable for family cooking.
Coach.me
Category – Productivity
Format – App
About – With the free version of the Coach.me app, you can build habits and set goals for work, health and wellbeing. This app could provide a way of setting a new routine when working at home, isolating or caring for children during school closures.
Headspace
Category – Wellbeing
Format – App
About – The free version of the headspace app offers exercise videos and meditation guides.
Calm
Category – Wellbeing
Format – App
About – The Calm app offers a great platform for beginners who would like to give mediation a go.
Mind.com Advice for staying at home
Category – wellbeing
Format – Website
About – Mind offer some advice on how isolating can affect your mental health and wellbeing and how you can combat this.
Ten Percent Happier
Category – Wellbeing
Format – App/Website
About – Ten Percent Happier offers meditations, podcasts, blog posts, and talks designed to help build resilience and find some calm amidst the chaos.
Guardian Advice for working from home
Category – Productivity
Format – Website
About – The Guardian offers some tips for those that are able to work from home.
