Kindness and Football

Dr Hazel Harrison, founder of ThinkAvellana, supports Premier League’s Wellbeing Stars project.

https://www.premierleague.com/news/2080395

Resilience - self-awareness

One important aspect of building resilience is enhancing our self awareness including using the 'hot cross bun' to explore our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and remembering that thoughts are not facts.

Lockdown is not a competition

Accomplishment is important for our wellbeing. But that doesn't mean comparing ourselves with others or turning lockdown into a competition. Sometimes, our accomplishments will be the small steps we've taken to make it through the day.

What if? to What is?

If your mind starts to spiral with negative thoughts about the future, one way you can try to help yourself is to shift from 'what if' to 'what is'.

There are lots of other helpful self compassion ideas in Dr Eithne Hunt's article - https://thriveglobal.com/stories/keeping-it-together-when-it-feels-like-things-are-falling-apart/

Finding your flow

Being in a state of "flow" (a theory developed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi) can be really good for your wellbeing and allows your brain to move into a different way of functioning. When in flow, we usually lose a sense of time and feel fully engaged in the activity we're doing. Some people find it in music, sport, gaming, gardening, dancing, cooking, drawing...(the list is endless)

Where do you find your flow?

Control the controllables!

The lockdown might be more like a marathon and less like a sprint. So it's important we use our energy wisely and know what it's worth us focusing our attention on. Here's a simple activity you can try to help you decide where to invest your emotional / physical energy.

An attitude for gratitude?

We need all our emotions. Sometimes it can be helpful to consciously find the balance, especially if negative emotions threaten to overwhelm us. One way we can do this is by focusing on the things we are grateful for. This isn't in any way to diminish the sadness or seriousness of the current situation. It's about giving ourselves a chance to notice that there are still good things in our lives.

Stress mindset or challenge mindset?

Our stress response can help give us energy to rise to new challenges and harness our strengths. What strengths do you have that will help you in the days ahead?