Synonyms

Something that’s helpful if you’re looking to stop self-harm is to think about the purpose that self-harm is serving you. What does it do for you? And then what else can you do to get the same effect, without the harm. (You’ll find a bunch of suggestions of things to try right here)

Now with that in mind, we’ve been asking you guys what it is that you’re missing most about going outside while we’re on this lockdown. So let’s think about what it is that those things are doing for you, and how we can get the same effect while we’re indoors!

Spending time with people

This is possibly the one that came up the most. Nothing’s quite going to be able to replicate being close to someone and able to give them a cwtch. But luckily we’re in this super connected age at the moment, with all sorts of ways to stay in touch. We talk a lot in schools about building our social resilience – having a community of people around you that helps make you stronger. You can do this by having physical contact with someone, but it also works if you reach out to them with a text or a call. Especially if you do it via a video call!

Something to try:

Reach out to the people you’re missing! Let them know you’re missing them! In fact, one of my favourite things I’ve seen people doing is just having FaceTime on while they’re just getting on with their day. Not necessarily having some deep conversation – just having a friendly presence in the room with them. Try hitting up 3 people today that you miss being around! Check out our previous post on why communication is key.

Gigs

Holy smokes. Us too. Both playing and going to gigs are things that are super helpful for us at HATW, and it sucks not being able to go to them. It’s a tough ole time for the arts community in general. BUT! It’s also meaning that we’re getting lots of cool and innovative versions of music from bands and artists. While nothing’s gonna be quite as powerful as watching music live, you can still put some headphones on (bonus points for ones that proper cover your ears), turn it up (to a safe volume), and close your eyes to lose yourself in it.

Something to try:

Find some live streams from your favourite artists, watch some YouTube videos of live shows (maybe even try getting a bunch of you together to hang out on FaceTime like above!), or even try discovering something entirely new! Maybe now’s the time to discover you’re super into Jazz.

Also try just listening to music, rather than having it on while you’re doing something else. Try listening to an album like you’re listening to it for the first time; try to pick out something you’ve not heard before!

If you really want to go above and beyond, you could use this time to learn a new instrument, so that when the lockdown’s over, you could be the one playing the gigs..!

A change of scenery

Getting out for a change of scenery is a great coping technique in general. While we’re still (currently) allowed out once a day for some exercise, it’s maybe worth making the most of that if you can! If you’re staying in the house – probably the smartest plan where possible – you can still have a change of scenery while you’re in your house!

Something to try:

Try moving the furniture around in your room, or even just switching around where a couple of decorations are. The biggest version of this would be to actually paint a room if you can (obvs please get permission to do this first).  You can give yourself a change of scenery and something new to look at within your own space. Or you could just try tidying up/decluttering, so you have something new by taking away rather than adding to it.

For bonus points, you could try making some art – perhaps a collage out of stuff you’ve got at home anyway – and hanging it up to add something new to your walls.

Exercise

Yeah man. Exercise in general is great. The endorphins you get? The progress you see when you go from being out of breath on your first run to being able to run 10k over time. The way it helps your body fight off illness. Exercise rocks. So not being able to get out to the gym, and just generally exercise consistently, is annoying.

Something to try:

The good news is that you can still get a sweat on while you’re in the house. Usually lift weights? Your house has probably got a bunch of heavy stuff in it! Try lifting them instead! I’ve been bench pressing my cymbals in the living room (turns out drum stuff is super heavy). Obvs you need to be a little more careful doing this, but you can still get a pump on while you’re indoors.

Greggs

Maybe this one won’t make sense to anyone outside of the UK, but legit loads of people have said they’re missing Greggs. And not gonna lie, we’re missing those vegan sausage rolls too. It’s comfort food at the end of the day!

Something to try:

If you’re missing those sweet treats they have in Greggs, why not have a go at baking for yourself? There’s something extra satisfying about enjoying a tasty treat knowing that you’re the one who’s made it by hand! Or if you want to cheat and have a more authentic Greggs experience, you can actually get ‘bake at home’ Greggs stuff from Iceland. Pretty sure that counts as essential supplies.

The little interactions

I was glad to see so many other people mentioning this, as this is possibly the thing I miss most myself. Those little interactions with folks – chatting to someone in a coffee shop, saying hello someone walking their dog (secretly hoping they’d let you pet the doggo), or even just smiling at someone you pass on the street.

Something to try:

Get chatting to folks in the comments on our social media! And if you’ve got something that you think is missing from our site – or from this post – then drop us a message, leave a comment on this post, or let us know so we can help each other out. Heck, maybe we should set up a Facebook Group to be a bit of a supportive community for everyone. Maybe you could set one up for your street, or check to see if there’s one already!

The other thing that’s really helped serve this same purpose for me is playing games online (I still suck at Call of Duty Warzone, no matter how much quarantine time I invest in it). If it’s a game that can be played with 3 people, why not play with one friend and a friend of a friend that you’ve not met before. Then everyone in the squad’s got at least 1 mutual friend, and it’s a chance to have a brief encounter with someone without actually meeting them.