Hello our Jigsaw Puzzling Friends,
How are you? We would love to hear from you. Come over to our facebook page and say Hi.
I wanted to share with you a note that everyone here received from one of our founders, Roger Erskine-Hill and our MD, Brian O'Donnell today. At this uncertain, extremely busy and worrying time, they took the time to put this together for the staff. I think there are some great ideas in here so wanted to share it with all of you too.
Dear All,
We understand this temporary period has been and will continue to be a very uncertain and worrying time, and that everyone will have their own concerns about the impact of coronavirus, and what this could mean for you. It’s really important to look after your mental (as well as physical) health, in all of this, and check-in on those around you too. Below are some bits of advice that we would like to offer you during this time.
Top Tips:
Stay connected: Keep in contact with work colleagues, family and friends to have some form of social interaction: ways in which you could do this could be via Zoom, FaceTime or Skype.
Follow your favourite bloggers on Social Media – many of them are doing live classes – from cooking at home to holding interesting discussions, from meditation to fun exercise classes
Listen to Podcasts: this can be done through Spotify or iTunes on your iPhone. There are lots of ways to listen to podcasts and a huge variety to listen to!
Be creative: Do the things that you wouldn’t usually have time for; read a book, paint a picture, do some gardening, take up a new hobby (indoors), write yourself a ‘to do’ list of things that you want to achieve for yourself during this temporary period
Support your community: You could volunteer locally, support local retailers or restaurants that may still be open for food deliveries and if you have neighbours, ask how they are doing
Keep moving: There are lots of recommended exercise classes for free on YouTube and social media
Maintain a sense of routine: Remember to give some value to your day and do something for yourself
Keep a healthy diet: Treat yourself but remember to keep it balanced
Engage with nature: Get some fresh air by taking your one form of exercise a day or opening your windows
General mental health advice on coronavirus:
Set a time limit (20-30mins) on reading news/social sites each day, and only use reliable sources e.g. BBC, Gov.UK, NHS
Allocate yourself a daily ‘worry period’ of no more than 30 minutes
Try some breathing and grounding exercises - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-SFdhVwrVA
If you’re worried about finances; do something practical to help yourself - work out your budget, cut non-essential expenses, speak to mortgage providers, banks and other service providers
Remember this situation will pass and isn’t permanent
Some Useful Links:
Wellbeing
NHS – Every Mind Matters – Coronavirus Health: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
Guardian – Coronavirus Social Distancing Activities: Expert Tips on surviving – even enjoying – life under lockdown: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/mar/22/coronavirus-social-distancing-activities-food-drink-exercise-kids
Mind - Coronavirus and your wellbeing: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/#collapse84dcc
World Health Organization – Mental Health Considerations: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_8
Samaritans – Help and support information: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/support-and-information/if-youre-havingdifficult-time/if-youre-worried-about-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak/
Financial Support
Martin Lewis ‘Money Saving Expert’ - https://www.moneysupermarket.com/money-made-easy/coronavirus-and-family-finances/
Money Advice Service - https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-you
Citizens Advice - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/if-you-cant-pay-your-bills-because-of-coronavirus/
Passing The Time:
Home learning with children:
BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Carol Vorderman’s ‘The Maths Factor’: https://www.themathsfactor.com/
Free Audiobooks: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
Arts and crafts: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/how-to/g1389/diy-kids-activities/
Exercise classes:
Joe Wicks PE Lessons: https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1/videos
Cooking recommendations:
Saturday Kitchen: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v5y2
Cooking on a budget: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/budget
Virtual cooking classes on Instagram, follow: massimobottura , tom_kitchin , cheftomkerridge , breadaheadbakery , wagamama_uk and more
Entertainment:
You can take a virtual tour of almost every London museum from the comfort of your own home: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/you-can-do-virtual-tours-of-almost-every-major-london-museum-and-gallery-032520
National Theatre Free Live Productions: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
Some great tips to prevent boredom: https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do/best-things-to-do-at-home-stuck-inside-bored
Netflix: https://www.netflix.com
Make your day by making someone laugh: https://www.tiktok.com/
Do a jigsaw puzzle, of course!
Remember to reach out, there are people out there who want to help or just have a chat. If you think you don’t have anyone, please contact me, so I can send a virtual hug your way. My email address is cynthia@mapmarketing.com.
Keep safe and well and remember to smile,
Cynthia Yeoh
Marketing Director and Excellent Virtual Hugger at All Jigsaw Puzzles
P.S. We should have lots of stock coming in this week, so keep an eye on the website!
P.P.S. As the situation is changing so quickly and also because everything is quite unsettling right now, I am trying to do regular updates on what's happening at All Jigsaw Puzzles. You can see all the updates by clicking here