Coping with stress, low mood and isolation – a support thread

Cher_Inactive · January 9

What is this thread about?

We realise these are particularly difficult times for all who visit Scope’s online community. The impact of covid-19 has been far reaching, not least emotionally, as we all cope and ‘muddle through’ each day the best we can.

As a means of support, the Community Team have compiled a list of resources on this thread to help with any feelings of isolation, stress, and low mood you might be experiencing. These are not intended to substitute professional help and we recommend contacting your GP if troubling feelings persist. Equally, should you ever believe your welfare is in danger, make sure to call 999 and ask for the relevant emergency services.

This list is not exhaustive and will be added to regularly so please do keep checking back. Also, if our lovely members have any other helpful links or ideas, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.

As ever, if you want to talk about your individual situation - we are here to listen. Don't be afraid to make a post and ask for help.

General coronavirus support

Scope’s Coronavirus website section provides practical guidance around money, food, housing and more.
The ‘Having carers during coronavirus’ thread explains how to keep yourself, carers and personal assistants safe, and what to do in event of emergency.

Mental health

Scope’s ‘Mental health and coronavirus webpage’ offers advice for both adults and children on how to cope with anxiety and isolation.
Mind’s Coronavirus and wellbeing webpage gives tips for looking after your emotional health.
This NHS Mental wellbeing whilst staying at home webpage provides a list of things you can do right now to feel calmer.
YoungMinds Coronavirus and mental health webpage has advice for younger adults.
Rethink’s Coronavirus and mental health webpage helps those severely impacted by mental health conditions and their carers.
You can call the Samaritans on 116123 anytime for confidential support and they have a webpage about what do to 'if you are worried about your mental health during the coronavirus pandemic'.
This Blurt webpage explains how breathing and grounding exercises can ease anxiety and panic attacks.
This online community thread looks at ‘What do you do to relax’.
Plus, our ‘Would you like to go to a spa?’ thread has suggestions on ways to relax too.
This “Are you feeling stressed?” post discusses the signs and symptoms of stress.
The Positive affirmations thread contains mantras to practice and boost self-esteem.

Apps

Headspace is an app for meditation, anxiety, sleep etc.
This NHS webpage has a list of mental health apps.

Exercise

The ‘Stay in Workout: Accessible ways to exercise’ thread includes links to routines you can do at home.
The Active at home timetable is a good way of keeping fit and exercising along to pre-recorded videos.
A diaphragmatic/abdominal breathing exercise suggested by @chiarieds. This helps with stress and pain.
Gentle Tai Chi and yoga videos also suggested by @chiarieds.
This 'How to meditate' guide from @leeCal can help you feel more at peace and relaxed.

Socialising/loneliness

The ‘Will you be lonely this Christmas’ thread contains fun activities to keep you occupied beyond the festive period.
@chiarieds ‘Activities for the little grey cells & 'Free rice' which helps the World Food Programme’ thread has a list of online quizzes to get you busy thinking.
Independent Age have a 'How to stay connected in old age' webpage with advice on how to connect with others.
This 'Riddle me Ree' thread has a list of puzzles to do, including impairment-friendly accessible ones.

Education/learning, work, and volunteering

This thread has tips for how to keep your work life balance in check.
While, this thread lists ‘books and educational journals available for free’.
For Have a go month we discussed available online learning courses.
The ‘Are you looking for a new job or fancying a career change’ thread gives career advice to help with job hunting.

Money

Make sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to with Scope’s Benefits calculator.
Scope’s Support with council tax during coronavirus webpage gives information about hardship funds, council tax reductions and deferred payments.
This #EndChildFoodPoverty map helps you find the nearest emergency food support close to where you live.
Visit this Money saving tips thread to see handy hints for cutting back spending.

Parenting

Scope's Family services webpage links to our Navigate, Sleep-Right and Parents Connect information pages - services designed to support the parenting of disabled children.
The top tips for a blissful bedtime thread has pointers on improving children’s night-time routines.
This ways to keep kids entertained during lockdown thread has lots of fun activity ideas.
@KimLawtherAT's home-schooling website supports parents and care-givers educating children with additional needs.

Specific impairments

Read this guest blog post that discusses ‘Being autistic in post lockdown world’.
Read The Independent newspaper article on: ‘Autism and the loneliness of social distancing’.
This ‘Managing pain during isolation’ thread has ideas on how to alleviate chronic aches and pains.
Scope’s ‘Cerebral palsy and coronavirus’ webpage gives advice specific to people with CP.
If you are struggling with insomnia, read our ‘Searching for sleep’ thread as we share and compare what helps us sleep.
Beyond Word's picture stories can help explain what is happening with coronavirus to people with learning difficulties.

Emergency help

The detailed ‘What is domestic abuse and how does it affect disabled people’ thread outlines what abuse is, how to report it and where to access emergency support.

Stay safe everyone and remember we are here to support you though this

66Mustang · January 9

Nice thread idea. I haven’t posted this before because I thought it would attract negative comments / opinions but I think this is hopefully the place where I can do it without judgement

I am really struggling with not being able to go out for a drive and also struggling to understand why I’m not allowed to do so.

I have obsessive thoughts which get really bad when I’m stuck in the house - I need to get out the house every day. Luckily we have a dog so I have an “excuse” to go for a walk each day but this often isn’t enough and going for a drive really helps my mental health.

All I want to do is get in the car, go for a drive without getting out, and come home again.

- No one will be in the car except people from my household
- My car is on my drive so I don’t mix with anyone on the way to the car
- I won’t get out of the car at any point so won’t mix with anyone

I don’t see how doing this will spread Covid to lots of people but I am following the rules anyway!

Cher_Inactive · January 9

@66Mustang Thank you for opening up and telling us how you are feeling. There's absolutely no judgement and I completely 'get' how you feel. I know from our interactions on the community and seeing your posts, how important motoring is to you, and it must feel like a loss that you are slowly adjusting to.

It's great that you have your dog to take for walks and I'd recommend keeping that up. As for the obsessive thoughts, does listening to a podcast or watching tv/films interrupt and distract you from these? Does anything tend to block them out? I know I personally enjoy running as a way of switching off, but am lucky in that i) I don't have any mobility impairments and ii) I actually enjoy it

- Could a new hobby or exercise routine work for you, I wonder, in the interim?

Wini1960 · January 9

[email protected] Hi i know exactly how you feel. I like to knit so ive turned iit nto a business. Maybe if you can find something that you are passionate about that could take the place of the motoring for the interim, might help. This is something that is beyond our control but everything is subject to change. We will get through this. I wish you the best going forward in 2021.🙂

woodbine · January 9

@66Mustang sorry to hear you feel as you do, fingers crossed that lockdown doesn't last too long and you can get back to doing what you enjoy most.

66Mustang · January 10

@Cher_Scope @Wini1960 @woodbine many thanks for the supportive posts, I really appreciate it and they mean a lot to me.

Cher_scope - Thanks for the tips. I’ve found those things to help a little bit to drown out the thoughts. As for the exercise, I actually want to do some form of exercise that is more vigorous than walking and like you I’m lucky not to have any mobility impairments, but this is not something I am able to do right now due to my psychological issues. I am working towards it though with mental health professionals. I know we are getting back to driving again haha but I have aspirations in future to get a Land Rover and a mountain bike and take the bike to places for a bike ride

Wini1960 - that’s great you have turned your hobby into a business. I hope you are doing well and wish you the best of luck with it going forward!

Woodbine - many thanks for the kind words. Hopefully things will return to normal soon or even partly normal. I realise I could be in a worse position so I am grateful for that, was just having a bit of a moan haha!

Cher_Inactive · January 10

@66Mustang It's good to hear you are working towards your goal with the help of mental health practitioners

I hope things go okay. How are you feeling today?

66Mustang · January 10

@Cher_Scope I’m feeling not too bad today, thanks for asking

I have a new support worker working with me and he seems to be really eager to help, not just to tick boxes if that makes sense, and he’s already suggested some really helpful stuff.

janer1967 · January 10

Thanks for sharing and putting all the info in one place .

Coming in here helps keep me occupied lockdown isn’t too bad for me as I only go out for shopping anyway though we did used to go to cinema or out to eat .

It’s also a bonus as my son is home though home schooling can be a challenge

@66Mustang sorry you are finding it hard not driving I know it’s no substitute but do you play any driving games on a console . Or could you volunteer in the community to maybe shop and deliver to others

66Mustang · January 10

@janer1967

I agree with you about the forum being a good time occupier and good to combat loneliness as well

Thank you for the suggestion, I hadn’t thought of driving games actually! I don’t have a console but will have a look for some driving games on the iPad to see if they are any good

We currently do help a few neighbours with their shopping but we tend to do it at the same time as our own shopping to keep the risks down if that makes sense

chiarieds · January 10

Another perhaps odd thought I had @66Mustang - would you like to try going for a 'slow' drive with Google maps? You might look at some of your favourite roads, or explore somewhere new, which you might visit later when able to go for a drive again.....something to look forward to, perhaps.

Hi @Cher_Scope - some of the links above don't work; I don't know if you knew.

- The ‘Stay in Workout: Accessible ways to exercise’ thread

- ‘books and educational journals available for free’

- Support with council tax during coronavirus

chiarieds · January 11

Just to add that I also find this a great resource, &, as mentioned above, so helpful to have all the info in one place. However, personally I think it's a bit of a wasted opportunity to just have this in the 'Mental Health issues' group, as there are links to other disorders such as CP, & I feel it would benefit a lot of people who are feeling isolated at the moment who may not have mental health problems. What do others think?

Btw @Cher_Scope @Ross_Scope or @Tori_Scope the 3 links mentioned above still don't work. Please would you help, thank you.

66Mustang · January 11

chiarieds said:

Another perhaps odd thought I had @66Mustang - would you like to try going for a 'slow' drive with Google maps? You might look at some of your favourite roads, or explore somewhere new, which you might visit later when able to go for a drive again.....something to look forward to, perhaps.

That’s a really fun idea actually, I might give it a go, thank you

Tori_Scope · January 11

I'll have a look at the links now, thanks for making us aware @chiarieds!

Edit: those three links should now be working. Please give us a shout if you encounter a broken link again, all. I've also now announced the post in recent discussions too, so that more people will see it.

chiarieds · January 11

I'd been looking on Google maps, & thought of you @66Mustang

I used it when people asked us to go to their homes to view books they had for sale.....sometimes at the back of beyond, & I used to get sidetracked looking down the country lanes!

chiarieds · January 11

Thank you @Tori_Scope - links working fine, & I hope more people will now see this thread as it's really good.

Tori_Scope · January 11

Thanks @chiarieds! I'd put the links into a word document so it's possible they didn't copy across properly for some reason.

Hopefully more people will see it

Please also feel free to post your breathing exercise, and any of the other exercises you comment. I did have a quick look for it but ran out of time on Friday!

chiarieds · January 11

Will do, @Tori_Scope - but please only use if you think OK, & @leeCal has good resources too.

Cher_Inactive · January 12

@chiarieds Thanks for your pointers! Making the post more visible will help us reach more people so I agree

lisathomas50 · January 12

@Tori_Scope the coronavirus link does that only cover England 🇬🇧

Tori_Scope · January 12

Which one @lisathomas50?