Coronavirus – how to help & where to find help

Normal blog service will resume on Monday (I think we all need a bit of continuity and escapism at the moment), but first I want to end my week of posts about the Coronavirus crisis by rounding up a few ways to help others, and a few places where you can get help if you’re struggling yourself. I’ve separated them into topics – helping your local community, supporting small businesses and freelancers, dealing with anxiety, and daily life – and each section includes ideas about what you can do, together with resources and links that you might find useful. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but I wanted to gather together the many great initiatives I’ve come across over the past few days. Thanks to Kym Grimshaw and my brother Ollie for sharing some suggestions to include, too.

Helping your local community 

• Why not start a WhatsApp group with neighbours so you can help each other out, for example by swapping info and resources, fetching food and medicine for anyone who has to self-isolate, or just having a general chat to keep some social interaction? If you don’t have everyone’s phone number, you can download and print this note, created by Cornwall woman Becky Wass, to put through front doors
• A raft of mutual support groups have been set up around the UK to help vulnerable people – find one in your area or register a new one here
• Age UK has created this video about how you can support older people in your neighbourhood during the crisis
• If you can still head out to shop, please don’t take up online supermarket delivery slots – those who have no option but to stay at home need them most at the moment. And please don’t stockpile!

Supporting small businesses and freelancers

• Shop from small businesses whenever you can. Many are still open online, even if they’ve temporarily closed their premises
• Help local restaurants stay afloat by ordering a takeaway. Even many of those which don’t normally offer home delivery are doing so at the moment
• Buy a voucher for a meal, spa treatment, hotel stay or workshop at a later date. It will provide small businesses with immediate funds and give you something to look forward to once all this is over
• Take a look at Save My Small Business – a website set up by Jess Simms of The Doers to share discounts, offers, delivery options and anything else small businesses are doing to survive the crisis. You can register interest now, and the full thing will be up and running very soon, with the option to search by area and service
• UK-based small businesses can find the latest info on what government help is available here. It’s updated daily
• Roberta Hollis has similar info for UK freelancers, together with a few ways to campaign for increased support for migrants, the unemployed and the homeless
• Maguerite has set up a hub where freelancers in the creative industries who have lost work can advertise their skills, and those looking for freelance help can post opportunities

Dealing with anxiety 

• Meditation and mindfulness subscription apps Headspace and Ten Percent Happier have created sections dedicated to the Coronavirus crisis which you can access free of charge – find them here and here
• You can also find advice on coping with Coronavirus anxiety in this guide from psychotherapist and writer Anna Mathur
• From next week, the Help Hub will be offering free 20-minute phone, FaceTime or Skype chats with qualified therapists for anyone feeling isolated or fearful – find out more (and register to volunteer if you’re a therapist yourself) here
• There are lots of free downloads to help with general self-care and mental health (both your own and other people’s) on the Blurt Foundation’s website

Daily life 

• Delicious Magazine is offering help creating recipes based on whatever you have in your cupboards if you have to self-isolate. The team will also suggest ingredient swaps for anything you can’t get hold of – find more info on Instagram
• The Guardian has released a podcast about how to navigate your way through the new normal of social distancing
• There are tips on keeping relationships healthy during the crisis here
• You can find a list of 10 places to access free online home workouts – everything from yoga to CrossFit – here
• Blogger and photographer Catherine Frawley has created a handy round-up of courses, podcasts, offers and reading material for these uncertain times – take a look here
• Ingrid Opstad from That Scandinavian Feeling has written a lovely blog post about how the concept of hygge can help at the moment
• Alison Perry from Not Another Mummy Blog has shared 58 things to do with children of different ages while they’re stuck at home
• And Rida Suleri-Johnson from Before & Again has an Instagram Story highlight sharing fun mini-projects and useful resources for children

As always, please do share anything else that people might find useful in the comments below. And do take a look at my tips for working from home, along with 25 ideas for making the most of your leisure time. 

Image by Abi Dare