Our youth activists put together a self-care resource during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown; it’s full of ideas, from baking to bingo!

It seems that everybody is speaking about SELF-CARE, lately. Technically, we should always look after ourselves but it's especially important right now. Many of the things we do in normal life are a form of "self-care" and not being able to do them right now is causing stress. And some people might actually feel less stressed right now, and that's ok too!

If you’re struggling of things to do to look after yourselves, here’s some ideas from us!

WHY NOT TRY OUR SELF-CARE BINGO?

You can download the PDF or image version, print it out and put it up in your home to challenge your family or you could share it on Instagram to challenge friends.

NEED SOME MORE IDEAS? HERE'S SOME MORE ACTIVITIES TO DO:

• Do some yoga
• Make music or get crafty
• Take some time for reading
• If you have pets, spend lots of time with them
• Do some gardening or start growing your own vegetables
• Have a video call with friends and play some online games together.
• Learn a new skill (like an instrument you've never played before or a language you've always wanted to speak but never had the time)
• Try out journaling
• Go outside, go for a walk and enjoy some fresh air (maybe you'll even find some ponies on the way)
• Treat yourself with a nice bath bomb
• Look back at happy moments
• Binge a series on a streaming platform
• Do some baking

WAIT, DID SOMEBODY SAY BAKING? WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED!

Simple recipes to do at home

As we all know quarantine can be a boring and stressful time for everyone. Baking can be a relaxing way of entertainment where you get some yummy treats after it. It’s also well-known though that lots of ingredients aren’t easy to get a hold of now, so here are some easy 3-4 ingredient recipes.

Make sure you have parents helping you if needed, especially when handling hot food.

Crunchie fudge

Ingredients:

• 400g milk chocolate
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 4 crunchie bars

Method:

Add everything but the Crunchie bars to a slow cooker and cook on high for 45 mins, stirring well every 15 minutes (also works in a pan on the hob at low temperature but be careful it doesn’t burn).

Once it is fully melted crush two of the 4 crunchie bars and add them to the pot. Stir this well and then pour into a lined dish.

Finally crush the last two crunchies to add on top. Leave this in the fridge to set for 6-12 hours.

Muesli balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pitted dates
• 2 ½ cups of muesli
• ¼ of a cup of honey

Method:

Leave the pitted dates to soak in a large bowl with boiling hot water for 15 minutes.

Drain the water from the dates and add your honey and 2 cups of muesli.

Use a mixer to combine the products until they clump together.

Put the remaining muesli into a separate bowl. Use a teaspoon to scoop the date mixture and then roll it into balls. Place the balls into the muesli bowl and cover in a light coating of the muesli.

Leave these in the fridge for 1-3 hours until firmed.

Peanut butter cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 egg

Method:

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C (Gas mark 4).

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until smooth.

Roll mixture into balls and place on a baking tray (flatten the balls using your hand or a fork).

Bake for 10 minutes.

THERE’S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW, THOUGH:

It’s okay not to want to do any of these things. It is okay to feel the way you feel. And it is okay to not be doing daily yoga and baking banana bread for your family.

We want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE and that we, your friends and family and other child-services are here to speak, if you need to. To find more information on this, check out our Supporting a friend section.