In this pack, you will find: Word searches - Find and circle all of the listed words that are in the word search. The words can be hidden in any direction. Crosswords – Use the clues to find out the words needed to fill in the crossword. Sudoku’s - Fill in the grid so that each line (both straight and sideways) has all letters from 1-9, and that all boxes also have all numbers from 1-9. Numbers shouldn’t appear more than once in a line or in a box. Dot to dot – Use your pen or pencil to join up the different dots following the order of the numbers, to reveal the picture. Hidden object - Try to find all of the parts of the picture that you are asked to (they’ll be quite hard to see). When you find them, colour them in so that you remember where they were. Colouring – Different pictures for you to colour in. Anagrams – Unscramble the jumbled words to find out what they are trying to say. The theme of the anagrams will give you a clue. Tip: try arranging the different letters in a circle on another part of the page – this way of looking at it can make the anagram easier to solve. Spot the difference – Try and spot the difference between the two pictures. Mazes – Find your way out of the maze.

Distraction Pack

ZENTANGLEUse the picture outlines below to create your own zentangles. Split each picture up into small sections, and then fill each section with a different pattern (as you can see has been done with the picture of the hand below).

The advice from experts in mental health, for coping with time in isolation, is that it helps to:

Mindfulness SkillsWhat skills ‘What’ skills are about what you actually do when trying to be mindful. They are:

▪ Observing - Observe, but don’t do anything with what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling! Be a spectator! Notice the experience, but don’t get caught up in it; notice it and let it go

▪ Describing - Put words to what you are experiencing. When a thought, emotion or urge arises - label it and acknowledge it with a description. Call a thought a thought, call a feeling a feeling and notice whether it is a physical feeling or an emotion

▪ Participating - Fully enter into the experience. Focus your attention on the here and now – on what you are doing in this moment and practise!

How skills ‘What’ skills is what you do and ‘how’ skills are how you do this. They involve:

• Being non-judgemental - Do not evaluate, but try and recognise judgements and use facts. Focus on observations and descriptions of behaviours and situations, instead of focusing on labels, stereotypes, beliefs, predictions and other judgements.

• Doing things one-mindfully - Do one thing at a time! Focus all your attention on the one thing that you are doing (e.g when you are eating, eat, when you are walking, walk).

• Doing things effectively - Focus on what works! Do what needs to be done, whether this may be to stand back and accept or to work on changing things.

Repeat three times.4. Slowly release the tension and very gradually feel it leave your body. 3.

Hold it as long as you can without feeling pain. 2.Tense everything in your whole body, as hard as you can. 1.

Relaxation technique: Whole body tension and release

Dot to dot

Breathing to relax Breathing too quickly, and deeply, can make you feel dizzy, faint or even more anxious. Taking slow, regular breaths can help you to control anxious thoughts and feelings, and make you feel calmer. To control your breathing:

1. Place one hand on your chest and the other over your stomach. You want your stomach to move more than your chest as you breathe

2. Take a slow, regular breath in (through your nose if you can). Watch your hands as you breathe in. The hand on your stomach should move and your chest should not

3. Breathe out slowly through pursed lips

PLEASE Skill

Treat Physical illness – take care of your physical health Balance eating – three balanced meals a day Avoid mood altering drugs – legal and illegal drugs Balance sleep – not too much and not too little Get exercise – move every day

Sudoku

Mindful breathing Being mindful includes ‘training’ our minds to focus on what we choose to focus on. Practice focusing your attention on your breathing. Sit or lie comfortably and bring your attention to your breathing.

1. What does is feel like? 2. Is your body moving as you breathe in and out? 3. Is the air hot or cold?

After a while, your mind will probably wander to something else. When you notice that this has happened, gently bring back your attention to your breathing. Your mind will probably wander again, and when it does, notice what has happened, and bring your attention back to your breathing.

What can you control? What can you not control?

V isualisation exercise This exercise involves using an image as a way to focus the mind. Create in your mind an ideal spot to relax. It can be:

• Real or imaginary • Somewhere you will find restful, calming, safe and happy • A place you would want to return to whenever you feel the need to relax

Imagine it in as much detail as you can – use your senses to make it as real as possible – and see yourself comfortably enjoying this place. Now close your eyes and take a slow, regular breath in through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. Focus on your relaxation place in all its detail and breathe out through your mouth.

Checking In and Checking Out It is tough to be away from our friends and family, especially when

there is a lot to worry about. If everything was as normal, we would be in small group and

workshops and checking in and out. It might be a good idea to check in and out at the beginning and end

of every day, just like we do in small group and workshops. We all need to work very hard to protect ourselves and our mental health during these difficult times.

You could use this sheet to help you check in and out. There are some questions for you to answer in the morning and in

the evening.

Spot the difference

Colouring

What am I feeling today?

Happy CalmAnxious

Sad Hopeless Disgust

Content Confused Angry

Worried Fearful Lonely

Frustrated Uncomfortable

Circle what you feel when you wake up:

of stress.

experience of gently breathing. You have the capacity to soothe and ground yourself in times

Notice the feeling of your feet on the floor, your body as it moves with your breathe, and the

your thoughts, gently escort your mind back to the present moment and anchor yourself there.

nose for the count of four, and out through your mouth for the count of six. If you drift off into

Close your eyes, if you like, and place both your feet on the floor. Breathe in through your

Drop your anchor mindfulness

Something positive I would like to do today for myself:

Circle what you feel this evening, before bed:

Write positive thing you could do for yourself today:

Examples:Some exercise for my

health.Listen to my favourite

song.Watch a good film.Read old letters.

Look at old pictures.Think of a happy memory.

Write a letter.

What am I feeling today?

Happy Calm Anxious

Sad Hopeless Disgust

Content Confused Angry

Worried Fearful Lonely

Frustrated Uncomfortable

Something positive / something I enjoyed from today:

One Positive thing from today:

things you can smell2•

things you can hear 3•

things you can touch 4•

things you can see 5•

Think of:

Sense Countdown

Word search

ACCEPTS AFFIRMATIONS DBT DEARMAN DESCRIBE DIALECTIC DISTRACT EFFECTIVELY GIVEFAST HOW IMPROVE MINDFULNESS

NON JUDGEMENTALLY OBSERVE ONE MINDFULLY OPPOSITE ACTION PARTICIPATE PLEASE RADICAL ACCEPTANCE SELF SOOTHE SKILLS VALIDATION WHAT WILFULNESS

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Crossword

Hidden object

Maze

Managing Anxiety during the Current Health Crisis

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults

and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.

Turn off

the

news. First, if it’s important, you’ll find out anyway.. If you find it hard to tune out of updates completely, check in once or twice a day and no more.

Remember, we are prone to thinking negatively. Our minds are made to protect us. As such, we are prone to pay attention to potential threats.

When you find yourself swept up in thinking about the scary things that could happen, it’s important to remember this tendency to overestimate the likelihood of a bad outcome.

Anxiety is linked to fear. Humans are, of course, animals, and just as it pays a mouse, for instance, to think that a rustle of feathers might be an owl about to swoop down so it can run and hide, so it pays for us to think the worse so we can protect ourselves.

When statistics say there is a 1 percent mortality rate, we hear that much more loudly than we hear the fact we have a 99 percent chance of surviving.

Don’t underestimate your resilience. Although dealing with a pandemic is not an experience many of us have had, there have been times we have lived through a crisis and survived. Remember that you usually have more strength and coping skills than you imagine, particularly when you are stressed.

Last, but not least, remember that in feeling anxious you are not alone and what you are experiencing is completely normal. Anxiety is not permanent and the feelings will pass. You have the ability to help manage these feelings. We can’t change the situation we are in but we can take steps to change how we feel about it.