CONTENTS:

LOCKDOWN

NATURE

LIFE

SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE WITH CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19

FEELINGS

GRIEF

LOCKDOWN

I wrote the poem below to let you know that there are people all around you who know you’re finding this time hard. It can feel so lonely, you can feel so empty, and life overall can feel completely overwhelming. We hear you.

I also wrote this poem to remind you that when you experience something difficult, it builds a new path of resilience in you (even when you feel like you’re on your knees). You will be growing, learning, changing whether you want to or not. You’ll be learning life skills that many don’t learn until they’re in their 20’s and 30’s. You WILL rise up to become who you were made to be - this pandemic won’t crush that dream, hold on to it and learn to look around the outsides too… broaden your perspective, think outside the box, see outside the box. Slow down. Find the value in the things around you. Put the phone down. Lift your eyes up. There’s a lot to learn, and all it takes is being fully in the moment.

POEM (LOCKDOWN)

The world is changing and you’re holding on tight,

You feel ALL of your emotions as you put up your fight,

To not let this beat you, to not let it win

We WILL still feel connected, connection comes from within.

No matter the changes at home and in school,

You will learn and you will grow as you create the courage to stand tall.

Resilience, strength, learning to stand still,

To accept and understand that through all of this, you will

Become future leaders in communities all over this earth,

Discovering that care and love is what brings us new birth.

nature

You might have read and seen footage of nature thriving while we have been locked down. For some of you, you’ll be silently cheering nature on, having a little party in your mind as you watch the videos and read all the articles of nature rising up all over the world.

You might have noticed the birds singing. You might have stopped to really listen to the sound of the waves. You might have felt the warmth of the sun shining through your window and realised you’d taken it for granted before.

For others, you might have headed straight into your room, locked down with your games console/phone/any of the other 100’s of devices!

No matter how you’ve filled your days, this poem about nature is for you.

poem

Nature needs us to nurture,

Nature needs us to care,

Nature didn’t stop growing and showing up,

when we stopped being there.

Nature needs us to notice,

That it’s quietly healing us all,

It needs us to stop and listen,

Before we lose it once and for all.

You see, nature is giving,

Nature doesn’t hold back,

Nature heals our mind and body,

When they go off track.

So when you next head out,

Slow down, take a stop in the bay.

And feel how watching the waves crash,

Can give you energy to face the day.

life

This poem is to get you thinking about how easy it is to get sucked into your world and your own thinking, forgetting how unique we are and how we all need different things at different times. It’s also a heads up on how you can spread whatever emotion you’re feeling online and transfer it to others.

poem

(written from the perspective of a teen)

I’ve been hearing all kinds of conversations,

From the Prime Minister, to my mates’, to my brother.

Everyone has an opinion,

But they all seem to contradict each other?!

This virus seemed to come from nowhere,

And no-one knows what to do,

But the conversations get pretty confusing,

Because they all pretend that they do!

So, do I meet friends at the skate park?

Or do I stay home in my room?

Can I plan my birthday party?

And when is it too soon?

Okay, I’ll just follow what my family do,

I’ll stay in like they say.

But… why are there families outside my window,

They’ve all gone out to just play?

I’ll get on Facebook, share my anger,

Why should they be heading outside?

We don’t even have a garden over here,

Why should I have to stay inside?

My mates are getting angry with me,

So I’m totally right to get angry about this.

It’s not exactly fair,

Why should I have to be the one to miss?

I’m just going to list some reasons why some people might be outside/doing something you’re not, in the hope that it gets you thinking about what you post on social media and how easy it is to get consumed in your own thoughts: * Abuse in the house * Experiencing thoughts about harming themselves * Feeling trapped * Needing a certain amount of sunshine for a physical illness * Needing a certain amount of sunshine for a mental illness * First time out in weeks/months * Emergency at home and needing supplies from the shop * Couldn’t handle the arguing at home any longer *

THOSE ARE JUST A FEW.

The way to break out from your own feelings overwhelming you is to regularly slow down… put your phone down * spend time on your own in the quiet * listen to music you love * watch the world go by out your window * close your eyes * meditate on words that make you feel good * have a shower/bath * spend time practising your hair and/or make up * Think about what’s really important to you * Decide how you want to spend your time * dance * sing * DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD.

school

The poem below was written after speaking to a 17 year old. Their thoughts, questions, worries are valid - just like yours. It’s natural to feel them and natural to question them, so write your own thoughts, feelings, questions, worries (everything!) down. Then read on after the poem and we’ll talk through some thoughts on after this pandemic.

poem

Questions without answers,

Answers that are confusing,

I’m trying to keep winning,

But often feeling like I’m losing.

Everything is changing,

And I understand parts,

But now I’m nervous and confused…

What about my career in the arts?

I’ve worked for days,

weeks, months and years.

To get the grades I need,

In an industry now full of tears.

What will happen?

Why doesn’t anyone know?

What am I supposed to go?

I physically can’t carry on with the show…

Right now, it might feel like everything you have worked for is pointless. It might feel like you have to start again, which might bring up questions and thoughts such as, “I don’t know what else I want to do?” , “I don’t know what else I CAN do?” , “I don’t want to do anything else!!”.

These are completely natural, allow yourself to think and feel them, but then think about these this…

not one single person in the world right now knows what tomorrow, next week, next month or next year will be like.

• This means that your future still holds your dreams, not that your dreams are gone. Not one single person knows what the economy will look like - but you know YOUR dreams, you know YOUR desire, you know YOUR passion. If you were made to perform, then your opportunity to perform will come. It might look nothing like what you have imagined, but it will give you your sense of purpose, contentment and fulfilment because it’s what you were made to do.

• Worrying does absolutely nothing to change a situation, other than to drain your energy making life a lot harder for you. So, write your worries down, get them all out. Then start writing down the things that are in your control, the things that are important to you, and the things you love to see/hear/smell/taste and touch. Once you’ve done that, using your lists, write down what you will do every single day to give you energy, hopefulness, and strength to make the best of the day.

• Use your time to slow down, to continue to make time in the day that’s quiet and allows you to focus on yourself with absolutely no distractions.

coronavirus / life during the pandemic

The poems below are super short poems written from the thoughts and feelings of a group aged between 12-17.

poem #1

I’m frightened, scared, and I don’t know what to do.

I live with my sister who has asthma, too.

I’ve seen her have an attack before, where she starts to wheeze,

And I’ve read that Coronavirus makes it hard for you to breathe.

#2

I’ve really loved being home from school,

I love it that my Grandma only has one rule!

I get a hug whenever I ask,

And we laugh a lot when we put on our masks!

#3

I’ve got brothers and sisters, and we all live with my Dad,

He’s normally pretty happy, but lately he’s really sad.

He’s angry a lot, and shouting all the time,

But when I ask him if he’s okay he shouts “I’m fine”.

#4

I just really like being home with my mum,

She was furloughed with her job and is ready to just have fun.

She sits with me in my room to do my school work too,

And makes me feel smarter than my school used to.

#5

I’ve felt a bit lost in my step mum’s house,

My dad works from home too and tells us to be ‘as quiet as a mouse’.

I find that really hard because we can’t just go out,

And when I get angry I just need to shout.

#6

I don’t really know how I think or feel,

It just is what it is , it doesn’t seem like a big deal.

I get to play on my x-box most of the day,

So I’m pretty happy I guess, not much else to say!

#7

I’m home with my sisters who I love, but they can bug me!

My Dad takes the car to work so at home it’s just Mum and us three.

We have been fighting and my sister shouted that I was '“a poo” !

But we’ve also danced loads and and played a lot of games, too!

#8

My Aunty is really poorly with COVID-19,

My Mum cries for most of the day and just tries to clean,

I’m not sure if that’s to distract her or to stop us getting the virus,

But I just feel desperate to see my Aunty, I know she really misses us.

These poems were intended to remind you that we’re all different. We’re different because of how we were made in the first place, we’re different because of where we were born, we’re different because of our childhood, we’re different because of who we have around us now - and SO many more reasons. This confirms that you need to BE YOU, because trying to be like anyone else just won’t give you the contentment, security, sense of purpose and belonging that being you gives you.

If someone thinks differently about Coronavirus to you, that’s okay, it’s natural, you can continue to be you. You can listen to their thoughts, ideas and suggestions, but ultimately, follow what feels right and comfortable for you. Some people will completely ignore any guidelines and do what they feel is right. You can not control the actions of others. Spreading hate doesn’t create change, it simply creates more anger in others. So, focus on what’s right for you.

Talk to whoever you trust about all your thoughts and emotions right now. Write them down or draw about them too, if you can. Whatever you’re feeling - it’s natural. But remember, it’s difficult, sometimes impossible, for you to see any good things when you’re overwhelmed with difficult emotions.

Feelings

It’s completely natural to feel a lot of different feelings on the same day, or wake up feeling something completely different to how you did the day before. It’s also perfectly natural to feel just 1 or 2 feelings most of the time. during Coronavirus, we can often feel different feelings to the people around us because our world has suddenly changed and all of us are having to live and work differently. this is okay. it’s natural for us to need some time to figure out what’s happening. The most important thing to remember is we are surrounded by love even when we might feel lonely, and that the teachers, friends, family that you miss will be thinking about you and missing you too, even if they can’t tell you right now.

*The feelings listed below are specifically related to our situation in the world right now. We run through more feelings related to all areas of life in the 52 week mental health and well-being curriculum available through YouTube videos.

More information can be found here…*

how do you feel?

We run through these feelings and more in the ‘Think HEALTH Curriculum’, but here’s a snapshot of some you might be feeling during this pandemic.

happy…

Happiness feels amazing! It’s when you can’t help but smile. You might feel like you want to stay in this moment forever because it just feels so good! You might feel happy when…

you’re spending time with people you love,

you’re learning something new that excites you,

you’re doing something that you just love to do (colouring, drawing, playing, singing, dancing, meditating, watching your favourite movie, listening to the birds, watching the clouds, climbing a tree, swimming/splashing in the sea)

you hear a joke that makes you laugh

you hear some really good news

you have a cuddle

A lot of the time, happiness can take away a lot of worries, a lot of stress or pressure you might feel, sometimes for a long time and sometimes for a few moments.

Happiness can come and go quickly, or it can come and stay for a while.

You can feel happy and sad really close together - you might be missing someone which makes you feel sad, but someone tells you a joke which makes you laugh. It’s okay to smile even when you miss someone, it doesn’t mean you have stopped missing or loving them.

sad…

Sadness can be difficult to feel. It doesn’t always feel comfortable and so you might try not to feel it. But, feeling sad is so important. It’s important to work on allowing yourself to feel sad and doing what brings you comfort to support yourself through it.

You might also feel extremely sad for a long time. You might not know why you feel it and you might feel like it will never end. There is always hope, you just need to chat through what’s going on for you with a mental health professional in order to bring in some insight, security, comfort, contentment and peace and allow your sadness to click back into a natural pattern instead of regularly overwhelming you.

You might feel sad when…

Someone you love is poorly

You are missing your friends and family

someone says something that hurts you

someone does something that hurts you

you can’t do something you really want to do

you don’t understand why the people who look after you have said no to something you wanted to do

Your mind and body knows what it wants and needs, so if you feel sad then the best thing you can do is to find somewhere that brings you comfort (a favourite chair / bed / quiet space) on your own or with someone you love and trust who will sit with you while you feel sad. You might want to be on your own or you might want a cuddle, we are all different so do what feels right for you in that moment.

Feeling sad won’t last forever even though sometimes it feels like it will.

You might slowly feel more and more sad, or you might suddenly feel extremely sad - both are natural and okay.

Your body might want to sit quietly, it might want to cry, it might want to scream - all of these things are natural and what your body needs to do.

excited…

Feeling excited is another one that feels so good! You might feel excited when…

You get the opportunity to learn about something you love

You get picked to play on a team for the sport you love

you will get to see someone you love soon

your birthday is coming!

thinking about the next time you can go to your favourite place

you get the exam results you need

the person you like speaks to you!

Excitement usually fills your body with energy so you might feel like jumping around, doing a little dance or running around the house to use up all that energy bouncing inside of you!

You can feel other feelings at the same time as excitement, these can be other feel good feelings like happiness, or ones that can be difficult to feel like worry.

It’s natural to feel a lot of different things, and for memories to pop into your head and change how you’re feeling.

So, make the most of ALL the feel-good feelings like getting excited!

worried/anxious…

Feeling anxious can be a difficult one, and sometimes we don’t even know we’re anxious! We usually feel worry in our bodies, and sometimes that’s the first way we’ll realise we’re feeling it. In your body, you might feel: FEELING YOU NEED A WEE A LOT BUT EITHER NONE OR NOT MUCH COMING OUT WHEN YOU GO TO THE TOILET, FEELING BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH, FEELING HOT AND STARTING TO SWEAT, YOUR HEART BEATING FAST, NOT BEING ABLE TO TALK OR STUTTERING, WANTING TO SCREAM, WANTING TO HIT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE, FEELING HEAVY IN YOUR CHEST, FEELING FAINT, FEELING LIKE YOUR HEAD MIGHT EXPLODE!

Depending on your personality and how you’re feeling, you might feel worried about…

Meeting new people or meeting people you know after not seeing them for a long time

going to a party

how things might have changed at school

STARTING NEW SCHOOL

returning to a hobby (dancing / swimming / gymnastics / martial arts)

how people will react to something you have said or done

…And sometimes, you might not know what you’re worried about!

We all have different personalities, so the things that you feel worried about, your friend might find exciting. That’s okay. We were all made to support each other and help each other out when one of us is feeling a difficult emotion.

A big thing you can do to help your anxiety is to talk to someone you love and trust about what you are experiencing (your thoughts, emotions, when/where/how you feel it). If you can, I’d really encourage you to write them all down or draw about them. They can get so crammed in your head that it doesn’t leave any space for positivity or a different way of thinking; but getting them on paper creates that space for new thoughts to come in. So, once you’ve written them down, life can feel a lot more manageable and it takes you out of that overwhelmed head space. When you talk about them with someone you trust, they can help you to remember that it’s okay to feel anxious, its absolutely natural and essential to life, therefore, EVERYONE feels anxious about some things some times. The person you speak to can also build courage within you by standing with you while you talk about and do the thing that is making you feel worried.

Write down the things you can do to remind your mind you are safe and in control.

Feeling worried is our mind’s way of keeping us safe, but sometimes we need to remind our mind that we’re not in danger and we are already safe.

courageous…

Feeling courageous is a pretty awesome feeling. Depending on your personality, experiences and current mental health it might be one that you don’t feel very often. It’s when you feel brave, strong and incredible! When you overcome your fears, when you’re mentally prepared to just go for it with whatever has been holding you back. You might feel courageous when…

you attempt to do something you haven’t done before.

you stand up to talk/perform/share your work in front of other people

you make plans to meet friends when it’s safe to do so, even though you feel anxious about it

you might decide to focus your time following your dreams, even though others might mock you for it

Courage, or feeling courageous, doesn’t stop you from feeling your fears, but the feeling of courage overcomes the feeling of fear. You feel a positive energy and strength that gives you the ability to keep taking one step forward to achieve what you thought you couldn’t before.

scared…

Feeling scared can bring similar bodily reactions as when you feel worried. So, these are things like: YOUR HEART MIGHT BEAT FASTER, YOU MIGHT FEEL HOT AND START SWEATING, YOUR BODY MIGHT SHAKE, YOU MIGHT CRY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHOUT, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TALK, YOU MIGHT WANT TO HIT SOMEONE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM PEOPLE TO SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL SAFE, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE.

You might feel scared when…

you think about coronavirus

someone you love is poorly

you don’t know when you’ll see other people you love again

you are with someone in your home you don’t know or trust

watching/listening to the news

the people you live with feel scared

you’ve made a poor decision and you’re not sure what the consequences are going to be

When you think about Coronavirus, remember that there are health professionals all over the country who are ready to care for the person you love if they become poorly.

It’s perfectly natural to feel scared, so do what makes you feel comforted. This might be… HAVING A HUG, MAKING A SPACE IN YOUR HOME THAT YOU CAN CHILL OUT IN - WHERE YOU CAN GO TO STOP RUSHING AROUND AND BE SURROUNDED BY THINGS THAT BRING YOU COMFORT, DRAWING OR WRITING ABOUT THINGS YOU LOVE, DRAWING OR WRITING ABOUT WHAT IS MAKING YOU FEEL SCARED, TALKING TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE AND TRUST TO LET THEM LISTEN TO YOU AND OFFER ANY SUPPORT YOU NEED.

The most important thing to remember is only you know how you are feeling. Sometimes, other people will guess how you feel or tell you you don’t feel something - that’s when you need to remember that your own mind and body know best. If you feel scared then you feel scared, there’s no more to it.

It’s our role as friends, parents, teachers, carers, to listen to you and support you while you feel scared. By doing this, we can help you walk through the scared times and win.

angry…

Feeling angry can fill your body with an energy that needs to come out (similar to excitement) but this energy usually makes you want to shout, scream or hit something/someone. The most effective thing you can do for both yourself and the people around you is to walk away while you’re full of that anger. Head out for a run, play a game, pace around a room, scream into/hit a pillow or something similar that won’t hurt yourself or someone else.

It’s natural to feel anger.

But, our anger can someones lead to hurting someone, which often causes that person to become angry and you end up creating a tangled web of anger and hatred. It can be incredibly hard, but do everything you can to walk away and return to talk when you’re feeling calm and can talk about (or draw) what made you so angry. You might feel angry when…

you can’t see your family and friends

you’re tired

the people you live with say or do something you don’t like

you see people doing things that you can’t do right now

There are a lot of reasons why you might feel angry particularly at the moment. It might slowly build up until you feel like you burst, or it might come and go quickly throughout the day. Remember, your body is reacting in a way that feels natural. It can feel exhausting to feel angry though, so surround yourself with the things you love to help your mind and body feel calmer and rest.

If you’re feeling angry a lot, try keeping a diary/journal and writing in it each day. It doesn’t need to be about how you’re thinking and feeling, it can be about absolutely anything, just start regularly writing/drawing. If this isn’t realistic for you, try doing something you love each day (dancing/singing/skateboarding/performing/creating - whatever it is for you).

lonely…

confused…

Feeling confused is when you don’t know what to do. Sometimes you might know why you’re confused and sometimes you just don’t know.

You might feel confused when…

you are following advice during coronavirus but, other people around you are not

you don’t understand exactly what coronavirus is

you don’t understand the effects of coronavirus locally and worldwide

you don’t understand why people have so many different opinions

Feeling confused is completely understandable right now, a lot of us are feeling confused no matter what our age is - there’s a lot to be confused about! However, that confusion won’t last forever. Try talking to the person you live with about what you’re finding confusing. Sometimes, they will be able to help things make sense for you, and sometimes they won’t know the answer; but they can make you feel safer and can chat with you again when they begin to understand the situation a little better.

Remember that someone might react with anger when they’re asked about something. This can be because they don’t know the answer and feel they should, it could be because they’re scared, it could be because they haven’t got the energy to think about the answer in that moment.

If someone reacts to your questions with anything other than care and understanding, take yourself to the place you’ve created that brings you comfort, and remember that it’s not you asking the question that created those emotions in them, those thoughts and feelings were already bubbling away in that person and it’s for them to work on being as mentally healthy as possible by practising the things written in here, particularly talking to someone. (There also might be A LOT more behind someone’s reaction that you simply don’t know about. If you’re worried about an adult you’re close to, I’ll be writing up something similar to this on the website so keep checking back and then you can forward them the link for them to have a read and hopefully begin to create healing and understanding).

*I’m aware that a lot of the words written in here won’t relate to you as much if you are experiencing trauma at home, whether that be due to abuse, poverty or anything else. If you would like to talk more, please send an email to me at lisa@thinkhealth.me and I will do all I can to chat through what you’re experiencing and support you.*

grief

If someone you love has died, either due to Coronavirus, another illness or tradgedy during this pandemic, or at any other time; the days can be incredibly hard. Have a read and think about the things I chat about below, and remember that whatever you’re feeling is what your mind needs to feel in that moment. It will change, but grief is something we walk through, it’s raw, it hurts, but you are not alone and how you think and feel will slowly change as you walk through these next few days, weeks, months and years.

memories

One of the most precious things in the whole world are the memories that made you laugh, smile, feel loved, feel excited, feel like that was the best time of your life! They can not be taken from you because they are safely stored in your mind.

Memories hold things you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.

Sometimes, you can’t remember them exactly - but that doesn’t mean they are gone.

Sometimes, the hurt and the pain in your mind that has come from missing that person means you can’t reach those memories at that time, but they are safe. They will burst into your mind when you hear a certain song, visit a place you visited with that person you are missing, or they will seemingly randomly pop into your head during a quiet time.
Memories will light up your mind and your heart making the love you shared together shine out and create tiny little drops of love to begin to fill your heart right back up.

your mind and body

Your mind and body know how to miss the person you love. They know what to do even when you feel confused.

Your body knows when to cry, when to laugh, when to shout, when to hide under a duvet, when to play music, which music to play.
The most important thing you need to do is let your body feel the feelings that hurt. That’s really, really hard.
Try to not rush into doing lots of different things, but take your time. Be slow and concentrate on what you want to do in that moment each day.

It’s natural to feel lots of different feelings, and it’s natural to feel nothing. Missing someone is a huge deal. It hurts. Some days it hurts so bad that you don’t want to get out of bed.
Some days, it hurts so bad that you don’t want to be on your own.

Some days, it hurts so bad that you only want to be on your own.

All of this is natural… but it still hurts.

Surround yourself with things that bring you comfort and make you feel loved. Think of things you love to eat and drink, movies you love to watch, games you love to play, places you love to visit, snuggle in your favourite blanket, listen to your favourite music, smell your favourite scents, look through the photos, have all the cuddles you need to feel all that love you have around you.

Again, write, draw, create anything about your favourite memories.

The other people in your life

It’s important to talk about your grief for a whole load of reasons. One reason is because it’s how you let other people know you are hurting, you are sad, you are confused, and life feels ridiculously hard right now because you are missing someone. This also lets other people give you a hug if they can and you want one, to offer to help you and your family out, to discover a new connection with you as they care for you while you are hurting.

Some people in your life will want to be there for you while you are hurting. Sometimes, those people won’t know how to do this, so talk to them. Tell them how you feel. As always, write/draw/create something that you could show the people wanting to support you.

The most important thing to remember is you might feel one - or all - of the feelings I’ll write just below this, please talk about them to the person you love and trust.

ANGER, GUILT, SADNESS, SHAME, HAPPINESS, EXCITED, CONFUSION, RESENTMENT, FRUSTRATION, FEAR & ANXIETY, WEAK, STRONG, HELPLESS, HOPEFUL, GLAD, PEACE, CALM - AND MORE.

WHATEVER you feel, it is there for a reason and you can understand that reason when you talk about it.

Sending so much love out to you all,